In Full Bloom
by Tsubasa8
Summary: She is the most stable of her team. Did that also make her the weakest? After an accident, Tenten begins questioning... her youth? ... Uh-oh... that can't be right...
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: "Naruto" is property of Masashi Kishimoto, Studio Pierrot, Viz Media, etc.

* * *

In Full Bloom

"_Training?_"

"Yes!"

Although Lee was not the conniving sort, Tenten had suspected something was up when he invited her out for dango. She had barely bitten into one of the glutinous spheres when he told her he wished to help her train.

She gave him a weary look as she chewed, and swallowed when she found the right words. "I think Guy-sensei's regimens are enough for me. Besides, I also work with Neji sometimes."

"Ah!" Lee raised a knowing index finger. "But it seems to me that those sessions with Neji are more beneficial to him than to you. I have heard you say that he has been able to block all your attacks. That must mean that these days your moves are no longer effective."

Tenten twitched at the way Lee posed her situation with Neji. "Hey…"

"You need more passion, Tenten! Passion to work hard and get stronger! Oh, but there also needs to be some healthy competition! I think it would be best if you picked a rival to motivate you – the way Guy-sensei has Kakashi-sensei."

One of the last things Tenten wanted was to be more like Guy-sensei, but Lee wouldn't back down unless she gave him a name. With a sigh, she answered, "Well… I've always wanted a rematch with Temari."

Lee's eyes lit up. He could understand why Tenten would choose the Sand girl. Her match with Temari during the chuunin exams had not favoured her, to say the least. "Ohh! Temari, ehh…"

"But…" Tenten cut in, "there is someone else I'd like to have a match with." She paused for a moment, and then said, "Haruno Sakura."

"Sakura!?" Lee shouted, nearly reeling from surprise. "Why would you want to fight Sakura?"

She merely answered, "I have my reasons," and pulled off the last dango on her skewer.

Lee sat staring at her, wondering what could have brought Tenten to consider battling precious Sakura. He couldn't recall a time when Tenten might have been offended by her. Perhaps it happened when he wasn't around. For his teammate to want Sakura as a rival though…

"Okay, then!" Lee stood and pumped his arms. "Temari would be a good choice, but seeing as how Sakura lives in the village, _she_ will be your opponent!"

Tenten frowned. "What? I'm not seriously going to have her as a rival. I only told you her name so you'd stop pestering me about it."

"But it is perfect! We will start your training right away!"

"I don't want to." Tenten refused to discuss the matter any further, instead turning her attention back to the dish of dango beside her.

Disappointed by her lack of enthusiasm, Lee's shoulders sagged as he watched her eat. He needed to say something that would convince her to train… "You know, Tenten, I have noticed lately during missions you often require Neji or me to assist you. While you do not drag us down in any way, perhaps you could benefit from more strength and endurance training."

Whenever Lee and Guy got worked up over missions or something as trivial as a simple journey home, Tenten and Neji would usually ignore them. This, on the other hand, was a totally different matter. She scowled and retorted, "What are you saying, Lee? You think I'm weak?"

The boy hadn't planned on Tenten getting so upset, and he raised his hands in defense. "N-No, of course not! I am merely pointing out some shortfalls that you could –"

"_Shortfalls,_ are they?" She picked up a few clean skewers and malevolently held them between her fingers like throwing needles.

"Tenten, please! There's no need to overre– Ack!" Lee bent backward to avoid the skewers being whipped in his direction.

"Come on, Lee! You're the one who wanted to train, right?"

"Yes, but – wait! Those still have dango on them!"

"Then it's a good thing you're paying!"

Lee bolted up before she had a chance to release another onslaught upon him. When Tenten swung, the dango flew off the skewers, missing the intended target. They did, however, strike someone else.

The sweet dango rolled off the Special Jounin's clothes to hit the dirt, and she looked at them as though she were seeing a group of murdered baby chicks.

"Anko-sensei!" Tenten was utterly embarrassed that her temper caused her to tarnish a jounin. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean for those to hit you!"

Anko's gaze shot up from the poor treats to Tenten, and the young girl found herself face to face with the severest glare she'd ever witnessed. "How _dare_ you waste perfectly good dango!"

Tenten took a step back when Anko stormed toward her, and arched back when the jounin swung a fist across.

"Hold still, dango-head!"

"Dango-head??" Tenten didn't have time to contemplate this nickname as Anko came at her, intent on landing a blow of some sort. While Tenten managed to dodge, Anko's movements grew increasingly brutal, and soon the genin turned on her heel to run. Of course, Anko wasn't one to let her prey escape her.

'This is ridiculous!' Tenten thought as she ran. 'I can't believe I'm being chased by a jounin just because I –'

"Tenten, look out!" she heard Lee warn from a distance; but it wasn't until she looked up that she saw the wooden plank.

- - -

A dull pain splayed across her head and face as she regained consciousness. She didn't open her eyes, but heard the voices around her – two awfully loud voices.

"So it's your fault this happened to our darling Tenten!"

"Haah? There were some other factors if you would recall."

"But if you weren't chasing her she wouldn't have injured herself!"

Tenten groaned at the noise, now recalling how she ended up in this condition. Her vision was slightly blurred as she lifted her eyelids, but soon focused on two look-a-like males who were leaning on either side of her bed.

"Tenten!" they both cried, causing her to wince.

A medic walked into the room and scolded, "You two, please keep it down or I'll have to ask you to leave!"

Lee and his sensei humbly apologized and moved aside so the medic could check Tenten's status. "How are you feeling?" she asked.

"I'm okay," replied Tenten, though still a bit dazed.

"Do you remember what happened?"

"Sort of…"

"It's because of _her_, right, Tenten?" Guy pointed beside him at Anko, who grimaced at the accusation.

Rather than snap back at him, Anko calmed herself and looked at Tenten to address her. "I'm sorry about before. I shouldn't have gotten so riled up and… you know."

"Tried to hit her," supplied Lee.

Through clenched teeth Anko grated out, "Yes, thank you…"

"I'm sorry too. It was immature of me to throw food like that."

Anko nodded and stepped back to leave. "Okay, see you around then. Don't go slamming into anything else," she teased, which lead to Guy unnecessarily coming to Tenten's defense, and Anko shutting the door behind her to drown out his voice.

The medic had begun preparing a cold compress for Tenten while hse explained her condition. "Alright, Tenten. You have a slight bump on the head as a result of the collision but your forehead protector took the brunt of the blow. Still, I'm going to ask that you stay overnight for observation."

Tenten sighed but expressed her understanding of the situation. Lee wished for her to get well soon so they could begin her youthful training, and Tenten didn't even bother rolling her eyes. Guy left her with his own overemotional well-wishes before the medic scooted him out.

Their departure left the room strangely quiet, so her thoughts took over and played clearly in her head. She couldn't have imagined that when she woke this morning she would be spending the night in the hospital; all because Lee had slighted her skills… Tenten turned to where her headband laid on the medical cart.

Even before enrolling in the Ninja Academy, Tenten wanted to be a kunoichi. She remembered the pride she felt when she graduated and received her forehead protector. Soon the students were placed in their respective teams, and it came as a surprise when she found herself grouped with the year's number one rookie and the student who could use neither ninjutsu nor genjutsu. Their assigned squad leader turned out to be quite the character as well.

During their first meeting as a team, Guy-sensei had asked them what their goals were since becoming genin. Tenten had been the first to answer – the first to answer… but over time the least zealous. Neji was already the number one rookie, a genius, member of the Hyuga clan and formerly driven by his animosity toward the main branch. Lee was determined to become a splendid shinobi using only taijutsu, and spurred on by Guy's words. As for Tenten, what did she have? A penchant for weaponry… the desire to become a great kunoichi like Tsunade… what did she need to do to achieve that? Despite herself, she felt Guy-sensei's words ring in her heart:

_Passion… and healthy competition…_

- - -

Preparing for her morning lessons was the easy part. All she had to do was place the proper seal on the parchment and retrieve the animal she would be practicing on. The actual sessions were when her skillful control of chakra was put to the test. It had only been a few months, but Sakura was finally getting the hang of performing simple healing.

She was in a particularly good mood this morning as just recently she had become senpai to Ino, something which the other girl displayed clear irritation toward. Humming to herself, Sakura placed a sheet of parchment on the table, intending to get a bout of practice in before Tsunade and Ino's arrival.

"Sakura!"

The girl turned at the sound of her name being called from the entrance. If she was startled by the sudden call, she was even more so by the person she found framed in the doorway. "… Tenten?"

The kunoichi of Team Guy was stoic. Deftly lifting an arm and pointing at her, she declared, "Haruno Sakura – starting today you are my rival!"

* * *

A/N: The point with Sakura is because I read in a character profile book translation that she's one of Tenten's desired opponents. Even if that's not true, I believe it's an interesting idea.

I think I depicted Tenten as less passionate and maybe more impatient than she actually is, but oh well...


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thank you to my first two reviewers! I appreciate the feedback on the Tenten versus Sakura angle. I believe it was the second databook where I read Sakura was one of Tenten's desired opponents.

Disclaimer: "Naruto" is property of Masashi Kishimoto, Studio Pierrot, Viz Media, etc.

* * *

A yawn escaped the Hokage's lips as she read through the paperwork on her desk. It had been a late night and early morning, a combination which she was not fond of. The only reason she was in her office now was because Shizune had dragged her out of bed to do some last-minute paperwork before having to meet her apprentices. Her aide walked in with a tray of tea, a beverage not as strong as Tsunade would have liked. What was worse was when Shizune nearly capsized the lot because of someone rushing up behind her.

Tsunade frowned at the commotion, then at the source of it.

Standing with her legs shoulder-width apart was a girl wearing a Chinese-style shirt, her brunette hair tied up in a pair of buns. "Lady Tsunade! I'm sorry to disturb you but I have request."

"Oh? And what would that be?" Her tone implied that the response should validate her interruption.

Tenten held her arms against her sides and bowed. "I would be honored if you would teach me medical ninjutsu as well."

Shizune blinked at Tenten's display.

Tsunade studied her for a moment, her expression sober. Lacing her fingers together and raising them before her visage, she replied, "I don't have anything against teaching you… but let me ask you something. Why do you want to learn medical ninjutsu?"

Straightening her posture, Tenten took a breath and answered, "I want to show people that women can be just as good shinobi as men!"

The Hokage continued to observe her pensively. "I appreciate your enthusiasm." She pushed back her chair and rose, coming around the desk to stand by Tenten.

For a second Tenten gazed back at her wonderingly, and was surprised when she placed a hand upon her head.

Keeping her hand in place, Tsunade inquired, "How did you hurt yourself?"

Though this was one of the legendary Sannin, Tenten was still amazed by Tsunade's perception and analysis. She informed her of the events leading to her concussion, starting with her outing with Lee and ending with the source.

"I see… then you should be resting."

"But –"

"I'm taking you back to the hospital. There's something I want to check."

- - -

"Your rival?" echoed Ino. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"What do you think?" Sakura sarcastically shot back from the other end of the couch.

The girls were waiting for Tsunade to turn up, and Sakura had passed the time by relaying her odd encounter with Tenten to her childhood friend.

Ino leant back, simultaneously folding her arms and crossing her legs. "Well, come on. Why would Tenten come out of nowhere and say that to you?"

"I don't know…" After a second of thinking, Sakura suddenly gasped and said, "You don't think she meant a rival in love?"

Ino's eyebrows rose. "_That's_ an interesting thought."

"That can't be it, I mean who –" Her eyes widened. "Lee!"

"From the Chuunin Exam?"

"He did express an interest in me before the exam started. Plus there was that time in the forest, remember? Tenten was there when Lee was saying those things to me, so maybe…"

"_Maybe_," Ino stressed. "Just because they're on the same team doesn't mean she likes him." The Yamanaka girl remembered how Tenten had chosen to 'take care' of Lee by roughly shaking him awake and yelling at him.

"Ah, there you are." Shizune appeared at the doorway and stepped into the room. "I've come to tell you that Lady Tsunade is going to be a bit late for your lesson. Something came up that she needs to attend to."

The news wasn't much of a surprise. After all, Tsunade was Hokage and had several other duties that would outweigh training a couple of genin. "Oh, okay." Sakura turned to Ino with a mocking grin. "Well then, I'll take this opportunity to tutor my kohai."

"Why you…!"

- - -

After being scolded by the nurse for taking off, Tenten was escorted back to her room where she found the rest of her team gathered. Apparently they had come to visit her, but now it looked like they would also be privy to whatever news Tsunade had. The Hokage went over Tenten's medical chart, and again performed a brief physical examination before making her conclusion.

"It looks like my guess was right. When you hit your head the blow disturbed your chakra flow."

"But I feel fine."

"It's not as though your flow has been blocked – it's been altered. When you lost consciousness, the conversation you had with Lee prior to the accident must have been pressed upon you, resulting in the change. Rather than a more typical result of a concussion such as amnesia, you've undergone a slight personality change."

Tenten paled at the last two words. "Personality… change?"

"Judging by your performance in my office, I'd say you've become more like –"

"Please, don't say it…" She could guess who Tsunade was going to say based on her explanation, and the thought made her feel ill.

Guy pat her on the shoulder and flashed a thumbs up, complete with a twinkle in his grin. Whether this was meant to comfort Tenten or a sign of Guy's approval of the change did not do much for her at all. If anything it made her feel worse. Lee simply added to it by commenting how they can now train together fully utilizing their youth.

As for Neji, he hadn't said anything at all. When Tenten looked at him she caught his gaze for only a moment until he turned away.

"In any case," Tsunade asserted, "you're going to have to rest for a while."

Tenten could barely get the words out when she asked, "Um, Lady Tsunade… how long do you think this change will last?"

"Judging by how long you were out for, it should only be a week or so."

"Tenten, do not worry! This is just another form of training!"

She held back the urge to tell Lee off about how not everything has to be about training; and anyway, this would have been the type of training Lee could profit from more of in her opinion.

On Tsunade's orders they left her to rest, but Neji paused just before the doorway and glanced back at her. Straight-faced, he said, "Tenten… recover soon," and left before she could respond.

She stared at the exit he had gone through, and then flopped back, bringing her arms over her head. 'This is too weird… I wonder how much different I'll be acting… … Well… as long as it doesn't involve a green bodysuit.'

- - - - -

Her brow furrowed as she ran her finger across the spines of the shelved books. "That's strange… most of the ones I was going to look at are missing." Perplexed by this mystery, Sakura sighed and gazed at the gaps on the shelf. This was going to set her studies back a bit. Deciding that she might as well see when they might be due, she headed toward the front desk to ask the attendant.

Before she made it there however, Sakura spotted Lee attempting to leave the building with a tall stack of manuscripts in each of his hands. It was peculiar to find him here of all places, as Sakura had never thought Lee to be the type to sit quietly and read. She approached him carefully, but when she said his name Lee abruptly turned, resulting in him having to spin comically to balance the swaying texts.

"Oh, Sakura!" he gasped, shifting his load so he could see her. "Good afternoon!"

"Afternoon, Lee." Sakura smiled. "Are you sure you should be carrying so many books?"

"It is no problem. If I cannot handle this then I will have to work harder until I can!"

"Umm… okay… At least let me get the door for you."

"Thank you, Sakura!"

She held the door open for Lee to pass, and as he did so she glanced at the books he was carrying. To her surprise they were all ones she had been searching for. "I didn't know you were interested in medical ninjutsu."

"Oh, these are not for me. I am bringing them to Tenten."

The mention of his teammate's name caused Sakura to falter, and bring back the memory of Tenten's recent avowal of rivalry. If there was anyone who might know what Tenten's intentions were, it would be one of her teammates.

"Hey, Lee… can I ask you something?"

"Of course, Sakura! Anything!"

"Well, the other day Tenten came to me and said I was going to be her rival."

"Ahh, so she is taking it seriously after all!"

His response only further confused her, but then Lee spoke of the talk he had with Tenten about the ingredients required to improve her training. So Lee did turn out to be the reason Tenten had chosen Sakura as a rival – just not the way she had thought.

The fact that in the end Tenten chose her over Temari caused Sakura to question this decision. She didn't think anyone would consider her a rival… with the exception of Ino; but their skills were about the same. Their draw during the chuunin exams proved that. Tenten however was a year older, and more experienced. Plus, it wasn't that long ago when Sakura realized she needed to get stronger. That's what her apprenticeship with Tsunade was for. Sakura was beginning to doubt the thought Tenten had put into her judgment.

She eyed the books Lee held, on his way to deliver. She really wanted to take those tomes out herself; who knew when Tenten planned on returning them… Then a thought struck her, and in the next instant she was asking Lee if she could go with him to see Tenten. The boy happily agreed, ecstatic to have Sakura as company on his walk.

Sakura followed his lead, expecting to eventually find herself at Tenten's place. It was a shock therefore, when they rounded a corner and Lee made a beeline for the infirmary. "She's in the hospital??"

"Oh, I forgot to mention…"

- - -

Lee guided the way to Tenten's room, and as they walked along, Sakura sensed something familiar about this path. It dawned on her, like slap in the face. This was the route she had taken everyday when he had ended up in the hospital. Lee stopped in front of a door and knocked, opening it when he got the okay. Sakura was stunned to find herself in the same room she had visited many times before. Except instead of Sasuke lying in bed, sitting there was Tenten, surrounded by books and scribbling something down from the text in her hand.

She looked up from her work when they came in, and her expression wavered when she saw Lee had brought company.

"Here you are, Tenten!" Lee placed the books into a pile at the foot of her bed.

"Thanks, Lee." She gestured to a stack of volumes on the nightstand. "You can take those back. I'm finished going though them."

"Right!" Lee swept the books up and turned to salute Sakura. "See you later, Sakura!"

She smiled at him and nodded, watching him zip out the door and down the hallway. When she turned to Tenten, it troubled her to see the other girl intently staring at her. "Um, hi Tenten. I didn't know you were in the hospital."

Tenten kept her voice steady as she spoke. "Do you know why I'm here?"

"Well, Lee told me about the fiasco with Anko-sensei."

"That's it?" she carefully ventured.

"Is there more?"

It appeared Lee hadn't mentioned Tsunade's diagnosis of her condition. That was a bit of embarrassment Tenten was thankful to Lee for not exposing. "No, there isn't."

Sakura perched herself on the nearby stool, deciding to roll with the conversation. With an airy tone, she said, "I would have run too if that loose-cannon of a jounin tried to attack me."

Tenten's expression suddenly grew somber. She dropped her gaze and replied, "I shouldn't have run away. I should have held my ground and put up a fight."

"Against that lunatic?"

"It isn't as though she would have seriously harmed me. If I want to be a respectable kunoichi, I have to deal with the challenges that come my way." She glanced at Sakura slyly and smiled. "Of course, one also knows when to fall back and recover."

Sakura blinked in wonderment. It was the first time she had heard someone speak with such conviction about being a kunoichi.

Returning to her studies, Tenten queried, "Did you want to ask me something?"

"Huh?"

"I didn't think you would visit me just to make small-talk."

"Oh… well actually, I wanted to know if you'd mind me looking though the books you had Lee borrow."

"Go ahead."

Her quick and positive reply was not what Sakura was expecting. "Uh – really?"

"Yeah, these books are available to the public. I can't stop you from reading them."

"Oh… because that time you said I was your rival, so I wasn't sure." Sakura gave a nervous chuckle, still uncertain whether she had been serious.

Tenten's focus slipped as she remembered that day. It was unlike her – leaving the hospital suddenly without notice to confront Sakura and appeal to the Hokage for training. She was sure under normal circumstances she wouldn't have done that. Yet here she was now, put in an unwanted situation because of it. The best thing to do would be enlightening Sakura on why; but instead Tenten felt herself smirk. "Alright, then, this will be our first challenge – whoever gets through all these books first will be the winner."

"Uh… huh?"

"You better be ready, Sakura."

She dove back into her reading, not noticing when Sakura's mouth fell open.

'What… did I just get myself into?'

* * *

A/N: As of now I'm not sure what'll happen next, so it'll be a while until the next update.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Okay, so it didn't take as long as I thought it would to write this chapter, but the next one will.

Disclaimer: "Naruto" is property of Masashi Kishimoto, Studio Pierrot, Viz Media, etc.

* * *

For the past couple of days Sakura was spending most of her time at the hospital. Going there gave her practical experience for what medic-nins had to face. These days though, Sakura was making excursions to the hospital for a different reason.

She had decided she would simply study the books at her own pace, as though the reading competition was nonexistent. That was her plan, until Tenten noticed Sakura's lagging progress. She warned her that if she didn't pick up the pace, she would make it a point to challenge Sakura on a daily basis once she was released from the hospital.

Her constant disappearances did not go unnoticed by Yamanaka Ino. Before she could run off, Ino caught Sakura after one of their sessions with Tsunade, determined to find out why. "Sakura, what have you been up to lately?"

"What do you mean?"

Exasperated, Ino said, "You keep rushing out of here after lessons."

"Aww, Ino…" Sakura's behavior turned catty. "You miss talking with your precious childhood friend that much?"

The insinuation and manner in which she said it caused an incensed Ino's cheeks to colour, regardless of her will to keep composure. "Dummy! As if!"

"'Kay~ then!" Sakura slipped behind the doorframe and waved. "Bye-bye, Ino dear!"

"Hey! Sakura!" Ino went after her, but when she reached the hallway Sakura was already gone.

It wasn't as though Sakura didn't want to tell Ino the truth of what she'd been doing as of late. It was just more fun to get a rise from Ino. Although the two had come to an understanding of sorts following their Chuunin Exam match, their habit of taunting each other hadn't subsided. They did have a rivalry after all… but different from the one recently established with Tenten.

The older kunoichi was intent on beating Sakura, fair and square, with Sakura giving it her all as well. Most of their time together was spent diligently leafing through the texts in silence; but interspersing these moments were casual exchanges. Usually it would be about what happened to each of them that day or the goings on in the village. It wasn't terribly special, but it made Sakura think of Tenten as markedly dissimilar to Ino.

Naturally, there were reasons for the contrast. Sakura had known Ino since childhood, when the blond offered a branch of friendship to her timid self. She admired Ino, and she wanted to be like her. Eventually that admiration warped when she found out they had a crush on the same boy. They became rivals. Sakura wanted to surpass Ino. Ever since then the friction between them became part of their relationship.

Not until the Chuunin Exam did Sakura know about Tenten. They had never even spoken to one another until this week. Yet regardless of this short acquaintance, Sakura felt comfortable being around Tenten. There was no underlying hostility, and although during her lifetime Sakura had associated with other girls, she barely spent much time with them. Now she was being somewhat forced into passing the time with Tenten, but Sakura didn't really mind.

She made her way to the hospital, imaging Tenten waiting patiently for her with a closed book in her lap. It was a sight Sakura was growing accustomed to these days. Tenten wouldn't start until Sakura was there, and stopped when she left. This happened day after day, but on this occasion when Sakura entered her room, Tenten was peeling an apple.

Sakura walked further inside and caught sight of a basketful of apples resting at Tenten's bedside. "That's a lot of apples."

"Yeah…" Tenten replied without looking up. "Lee brought me some of Guy-sensei's herbal medicine balls but I told him I would've preferred an apple." She sighed, adding, "He took it too far, as usual."

Sakura giggled and took her place upon the stool, reaching an arm toward her. "Let me. Patients shouldn't have to do that."

Tenten's initial instinct was to decline. Just because she was in the hospital it didn't make her an invalid. Then again, she didn't see anything wrong with allowing Sakura to perform a kind gesture for her; so she obligingly handed her the apple and blade.

She watched as Sakura dragged the knife across the fruit's flesh, the exposed juices wetting her fingers. Her technique was a bit rough, but she was managing to keep the skin as one peel.

The Chuunin Exam was the first time she had met her – the kunoichi of Kakashi's squad. Lee had already known about her and was smitten, boldly introducing himself and asking her out. Of course, she refused him outright. She couldn't blame her for being turned off by his intensity, but not by his appearance. Alright, Tenten admitted that was a slightly hypocritical thought, since she preferred pretty boys herself; but even though Lee had an eccentric streak, she knew he was a good person. Sakura must know this by now.

"Here you are." Sakura held out the plate of sliced apple and saw a slight grimace on Tenten's face. It sent a queer chill through her body, and she feared the other girl would smack the dish from her hands.

"Thank you." Tenten accepted the plate from Sakura, resting it on her lap to eat.

Even after she had taken it, Sakura's heart was beating wildly in her chest. That moment nearly ran parallel to that time, when he had thrashed her thoughtfulness with anger and force.

Tenten glanced at her, finding Sakura's expression wilted with sadness. "What's the matter?"

Sakura gasped, not realizing that Tenten had been watching her. She looked up and saw the genuine concern creasing her features. Sakura lowered her gaze, gripped her knees, and replied softly. "This room used to be Sasuke's when he when he was here."

The sweetness of the fruit in Tenten's mouth dissipated. "… Oh…"

The following day Sakura went to the hospital, a sign taped to Tenten's closed door greeted her. It instructed her to meet Tenten in the courtyard behind the building. The message seemed out of the blue, but Sakura went ahead to find her. Upon arrival, Tenten was waiting for her on a blanket with the books from the library. When she asked Tenten why they were going to read outside, she said she was tired of being cooped indoors.

- - -

Lee's subsequent hospital visit arose during the girls' study period. He came out to look for them in the back and was delighted to see his beloved Sakura on this occasion. When he asked why she was here she informed him of the challenge Tenten proposed, to which Tenten added they were in the midst of. He found this highly intriguing, so decided to pay witness while keeping himself busy by jump-roping.

When Lee jumped rope, it was at a constant rapid pace. Each tap of the rope against the dirt sounded like a woodpecker on caffeine, chipping away at Tenten's concentration until it snapped. "Lee, can you please –!"

"Finished!" Sakura announced with soft thud of the book covers.

Tenten spun to face her, wide-eyed. "What?"

"I said I'm finished."

Abandoning his exercise, Lee raced forward, exclaiming, "Ohh! Amazing, Sakura! You beat Tenten!"

His teammate cast as sidelong glimpse his way. 'And how do you think that happened??'

"Tenten, what is your self-rule?"

"Huh? She didn't make any –"

Tenten suddenly shot up on her feet and dramatically pointed toward the hospital. "One-hundred laps around the building!"

Sakura's jaw dropped. "Wait, you're supposed to be taking it easy!"

"I have a mental problem, not a physical one."

"Can you hear yourself!?"

"I'll be fine." Tenten smiled and gave her a thumbs-up. Then she froze, mortified at the pose her body intuitively arranged itself in.

"Alright, Tenten! Whoo-hoo!" Lee punched the air and cheered.

Tenten was all for his support, but not for something like this. She swung her outstretched arm behind her back and said, "Um, maybe Sakura's right. A hundred laps is a lot after all."

Her change of heart had Lee up in arms. "You cannot back out of a self-rule! Plus, you did the Nice-Guy pose, so –"

"Okay! Okay!" Tenten distressingly waved her hands. "I'll do it already, just stop talking!"

Weighed against the numbers Lee and Guy usually set for themselves, one-hundred wasn't very much. In Tenten's case however, it was a fairly tall order. Her full-speed sprints began slowing at the thirty-five mark, lungs sore and limbs waning.

"She doesn't look too well," Sakura apprehensively mused. From where she and Lee were standing Sakura could tell Tenten was taking burdened breaths.

"Do not worry, Sakura. Tenten will be able to do it."

Sakura smiled at him, but he didn't see it. He was preoccupied with keeping an eye on Tenten's progress. It was admirable how much Lee believed in his companions. "Well, I think we should at least get her some water."

"On it!" Lee zipped into the backdoors of the hospital, emerging a moment later with the water – a bucketful of it.

Sakura barely had any time to speculate on what he was doing with a bucket rather than a glass. When Tenten rounded the corner, Lee heaved the pail so the water surged out and drenched her.

"Lee!" Tenten spluttered, wiping dripping water from her eyes. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Cooling you down; although Tenten, you did not need to stop running."

A weary, and slightly amused, Sakura walked up to them. "Lee… when I said we should get her water I meant for her to drink it."

"Oh… that makes sense as well."

"It makes _more_ sense," muttered Tenten. Her clothes were soaked down the front and clung uncomfortably to her body. Lee's intention didn't prove false, as she felt cold from the evaporating water taking away her body heat. The world before her blurred at edges and the lightheadedness gained while running worsened.

"Tenten!" Lee caught her before she fell over.

"Ugh…" Her voice was faint and she struggled to stand on her own. "Sorry, I'm okay…"

Sakura frowned and tempered her own voice. "You are _not_ okay, you're dehydrated! Lee, take her back to her room. I'll be up as soon as I've gathered the books."

Lee nodded and picked Tenten up into his arms to carry her inside. She might have protested if her consciousness wasn't swimming. He took her up to her room, oblivious of the people in the hallway glancing at them as they passed, and carefully laid her on the bed. Against the white of her pillow, Lee could see how unnaturally pale her complexion was.

_You are _not _okay, you're dehydrated!_

He quickly fetched some water, in a glass this time, and helped sit her up to bring it to her mouth. The surface of the water rippled with each slow, shallow gulp; until she pulled back to indicate she'd had enough. Lee placed the glass on the nightstand and looked back at Tenten, resting atop the bed sheets with her clothing still damp.

Remorseful, his bushy eyebrows pinched upward and he said, "I am sorry I splashed water on you, Tenten."

She exhaled a puff of air. "I know…" Lee nearly always did something that would rub Tenten the wrong way, but there was never any ill will behind it.

A moment later Sakura stumbled into the room with the books teetering in her arms. She haphazardly dropped them on a chair before going to Tenten's side. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, Lee gave me water to drink."

Her reply provided Sakura with some relief. "That's good…"

Tenten turned her gaze to the ceiling. "It's lame that I didn't complete my run because of dehydration."

Lee made a fist in front of his chest. "Do not worry, Tenten. You can finish those laps later."

"What?" Sakura gawked. "After what just happened?"

She was spent from her episode. She didn't even want to think about it. "It's okay, I can do it." Tenten glanced toward Sakura. "You'll watch me, right?"

Sakura blinked, not just because she didn't know whether it was to see to her completion or health, but because of the odd gleam in Tenten's half-lidded eyes when she spoke. "O-Okay. I will."

Lee soon left them so Tenten could rest, with parting words of good luck for Tenten and the hope that he would see Sakura again in the near future. Sakura intended to go as well, but only after getting Tenten to shed her damp clothing. It would have been undesirable for her to catch a cold on top of everything else she'd been through.

While Sakura went to get a hospital robe for her to wear in the meantime, Tenten started to undress. She tossed her pants onto the stool and slipped her legs underneath the bedcovers. Afterward she undid the clasps on her shirt, but chose to wait for Sakura to bring the gown before removing it.

Sakura returned with a plain, navy blue robe highlighted by a lighter shade at the edges. Tenten promptly slipped off her shirt and passed it to the other girl. As Sakura took it, her eyes glimpsed the dark tube top wrapped around her chest. '… I wonder if I should tell her she's won a match as well…'

- - -

Neji was in the middle of honing his Byakugan, a process which he did solo. It was a welcome escape from having to train with his team. Currently this consisted of only Guy, Lee, and himself, so having time alone was even more desirable. Without Tenten there was no one to reflect the aggravation he felt when sensei and pupil got overexcited.

"How are you?" she had asked him one day when he came to call on her.

"I should be asking you that."

Tenten half-heartedly shrugged. "I feel the same, but my check-up with Lady Tsunade isn't until later so I don't really know."

"Ah…" There was a lapse in the conversation when they waited for the other to say something. "There have been a few missions."

"Aww…! I knew there would be but it's still annoying that I'm being left out."

"Recovery takes precedence over low-rank missions."

"I _know_ Neji."

Once she was released from the hospital, Tenten would probably want to get back to practicing. The last time he was here, Lee had mentioned something about this to her. "Are you going to train with Lee?"

"Huh?"

"He said you could train together." Neji made sure not to say the word 'youth' in his statement.

Her brow wrinkled. "I don't know. I haven't given it much thought. If it's alright with you though, I think we should stop our sessions together, or at least put them on hold."

"I see… yes, they're not doing much for me either as of late."

Although his tone was tactful, Tenten thought he could have used a better choice of words. "Great… glad you agree."

Clearing his mind of the memory, Neji activated his Byakugan once more and saw the tree Tenten had leaned against when she arrived to tell him of Tsunade's return to the village. It only occurred to him after leaving the hospital that he would still be seeing less of Tenten.

- - -

It was time for Tenten's check-up with the Hokage. By now it had been a week since the accident, and Tenten's mind was in a tug of war on whether to be optimistic or pragmatic over Tsunade's anticipated verdict. The disconcerting look on her face was enough to tell Tenten what type of news to expect.

"Hmm… there's no change."

Tenten pleadingly gaped at her. "Does that mean I'm stuck like this?"

"No, your chakra should have restored itself by now…" She placed a considering hand under her chin. "I could try forcing it, but it'd be best if it happened naturally."

"I don't want to be here for another week," Tenten groaned.

"Oh, I can discharge you. Your flow hasn't worsened, and you say you haven't experienced any peculiar feelings, correct?"

"Yeah, nothing major…" The self-rule incident crossed her mind, but Tenten chalked it up to her distorted personality getting caught up in the moment.

"Then you can go as soon as the paperwork is filled out."

"So, will you also teach me medical ninjutsu?"

"I'm afraid that's not possible, at least not for now. Chakra manipulation is a delicate procedure in particular when it comes to medical practices." Tsunade glanced about the room, noting the scattered library books. Knowing Tenten had been working on theory made it harder for Tsunade to say what was needed. "Since your chakra flow isn't what it ought to be, you should put off the idea of medical ninjutsu."

Her idol was telling her she couldn't do one of the things the Sannin was famous for. Tenten felt a sliver of what it must have been like for Lee when he was told to give up on being a shinobi. 'Well, it's not as horrible as that.' She smirked dryly, in view of her position. 'I shouldn't compare myself to Lee.'

* * *


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: "Naruto" is property of Masashi Kishimoto, Studio Pierrot, Viz Media, etc.

* * *

It had only been one day. One day, and Tenten was already tired. It must have been because she was in the hospital that her resilience had worn thin. Usually, she could put up with this…

"Here's to Tenten's future training!" Guy's fervent voice boomed across the table.

"Hurray!!!" Lee raised a glass to meet his sensei's.

Tenten kept her water on the table. "Shouldn't it be to my release from the hospital?"

"To Tenten's training and hospital release!" the pair cried in unison before bringing their glasses together.

"Wait, I only said –"

"Let them be, Tenten." Neji took a sip of water, perfectly calm.

She glanced beside her and did a double take. 'Did Neji just… smile?' There was no way to be certain. If Neji had indeed smiled, it disappeared a second afterward.

"Tenten! Neji! Lift up your glasses!" Guy amicably commanded. They did so, only to have Guy and Lee crash their glasses into theirs' and shower the tabletop with water. It was a good thing their food hadn't arrived yet. Even if it was her favourite, Tenten did not want to eat Chinese food with Lee and Guy seasoning.

Lee beamed at her. "Tenten, as soon as we are done eating let us commence your training!"

"I don't mind training today, but right after eating? We should at least wait an hour –"

"We need to make use of every minute of our youth to the fullest!"

"I'm saying we should wait because –"

"Whaaa, that looks delicious!" Lee's eyes were shining as the dishes arrived. "Tenten, you take the first bite!"

She heavily sighed and picked up her chopsticks. "Yeah, yeah…"

Glad to have his kids together again, Guy merrily laughed and ordered a bottle of sake. Neji watched and listened to the interplay of his teammates; playing like an old familiar tune he was pleased to hear again.

- - -

There was something strange about it. Sakura thought for sure Ino would be hounding her after dodging her first attempt at wheedling an answer about her recent whereabouts. Yet her friend said nothing. It was peculiar, but what was bothersome was Sakura _knew_ Ino wanted to ask. She could see and sense the grumpy look in her eyes whenever they were together, and it was beginning to get unnerving.

'Darn it, Ino, whatever you want to say, just –'

"So what happened?"

They were walking down a path in the village that was nearly deserted, so Sakura heard Ino clearly when she popped the question. Nevertheless, she decided to draw out Ino's curiosity for spite, in the face of having waited so long to ask. "What ever do you mean?" Sakura replied in a phony tone of ignorance.

Ino's expression crinkled. "You've stopped bolting after lessons."

"Oh, that. I finished my business is all."

Ino's bottom lip slightly puckered. Evidently Sakura was not going to provide a straight answer unless given the right incentive. Her voice raising an octave, Ino said, "_My_, you must not make for a very good girlfriend if you were dumped by a boy so suddenly."

She fell for it. Simply Ino suggesting Sakura liked another boy, let alone went out with one, was enough to make her bristle. Without even thinking, she blurted out, "I was not with a boy; I was with Tenten!"

The astonishment on Ino's face made Sakura reconsider her words. Given the context Ino had been speaking in, Sakura could guess what was running through her mind. She grabbed Ino's wrist and pulled her into a side path where they could have more privacy, and quickly explained what had really been happening before Ino could jump to any more conclusions.

When she was finished, Ino still looked a bit skeptical. "… A reading competition?"

"I know it sounds odd, but it's true and it was her idea. If you don't believe me you can ask her yourself."

Ino stared at her a moment longer. "… I believe you."

Her surprising faith in her took Sakura off guard, and she blinked. "You do?"

"Yeah…" Ino glanced off to the side, a faint smile playing upon her lips. "If you were lying I'm sure someone with a mind like your's could have come up with something more plausible."

Sakura wasn't quite sure, but it sounded like Ino had given her a compliment. Accolades from Ino were far and in-between, but each time it happened, she managed to stir Sakura's heart.

Ino twisted on her heel so she no longer directly faced Sakura. "So you really do have another rival." She seemed to say this more to herself than to the girl she was with. Sakura wondered why she even said it.

Though it was supposed to be a rivalry, and it was being labeled as such, Sakura still didn't fully accept it. She had thought coming up the winner in their readings meant she wouldn't need to see Tenten for a while; but then Tenten ensured that she would return to the hospital to see her fulfill her self-rule.

To tackle the remainder of her run, Tenten kept her pace at a jog, aiming for endurance over speed. Sakura meanwhile observed her from one of the nearby benches, occasionally getting up to pass Tenten a cup of water. It wasn't a laborious task, which meant that Sakura was left with most of her time available to sit with her own thoughts.

As she watched Tenten run, she realized that although on the surface self-rules were penalties for losing a challenge, it also doubled as training. Sakura remembered how the previous day the elder kunoichi had been determined to finish what she started. Even now, her expression wasn't tired, but resolute. It appeared she was used to this sort of exercise in addition to doing it alone.

The majority of Sakura's studies toward becoming a shinobi had taken place while enrolled in the academy, or afterward with her squad. She studied because she had to pass, she worked because she needed to get it right; but those were benchmarks, minimum requirements. It wasn't enough.

"I'm done!" Tenten announced with a breath of exhaustion.

Her voice and the oncoming trudge of her footsteps awakened Sakura from her reverie. "Oh, good work."

Tenten picked up the towel draped over the bench's backrest and pressed it against her fevered visage. When she pulled it away Sakura could still see a fine sheen of sweat. If she touched her skin, Sakura imagined it would feel warm and clammy. The bench creaked as Tenten sat beside her and picked up a fresh cup of water.

Sakura glanced at her while she drank from it."Do you always push yourself like that?"

Tenten rested the cup in hand on her lap and stared straight across the hospital grounds. "I suppose. Guy-sensei always gives us intense routines to follow whenever our team trains."

"It sounds like you have it rough."

Her mouth formed a jaded smile. "Don't let him know I said this, but I'm actually kind of grateful. It's because he keeps pushing us that we're able to grow stronger." Tenten turned her head to look at Sakura. "Having a rival has the same effect, right?"

She wanted to ask about their rivalry. She wanted to know why Tenten thought of her as a rival. She wanted to know why she was being so friendly… It was probably just her imagination, but Tenten seemed to be glowing.

_I was tired of being cooped indoors._

In the end, Sakura didn't say a word. She merely nodded and watched as Tenten drained her glass with a toss of her head.

In the present Sakura was looking at Ino, her thoughts shifting and delving deeper into the recesses of her memory. The rival of her past, her present… "Hey, Ino… You'll always be my rival."

Ino blinked at her for a second. Sakura's eyes were serious but bright, and she was smiling. With a smidge of amusement, she mirrored her expression. "The same goes for me."

- - -

Returning to work with her team wasn't a problem for Tenten. After warm-ups and a couple of hours under Guy's tutelage, she was getting back into the swing of things.

What proved to be challenging was working one-on-one with Lee. It was just herself, and Lee to place attention on the other. No Guy or Neji to act as buffers. Usually this was not something Tenten would be too concerned about, but Lee was pouring on the training, punctuated by his dramatic outbursts. Even though she was expecting this, it was a sharp turn from Neji's reserved and calculated efforts.

There was no way she could meet Lee's benchmarks; but where she would typically brush it off after reaching her limit, Tenten was rather frustrated. She would be lying on her stomach, arms like wet noodles, watching Lee do his umpteenth pushup while instructing Tenten to keep going. The whole experience gave Tenten feelings of guilt and envy.

It dawned on her how hard Lee had been working all this time to improve his skills, striving to become a splendid pure-taijutsu shinobi and defeat their genius teammate. She was beginning to regret having told Lee he could never beat Neji.

_Stronger than we were yesterday!_ That was the dictum behind their team's training.

Stronger… Lee was definitely strong. Tenten knew he held back when they sparred, because if they were to have a true fight, his taijutsu would surely trounce her own. Their team was balanced that way; the guys engaged in the frontlines while she supported them with her ninja tools. As she learned with Temari however, she needed to fortify and establish a necessity for her close combat abilities.

In order to do so, a sizable amount of time was spent sparring. They always exchanged a flurry of kicks and punches, but Tenten was never able to hit Lee. She suspected he was maintaining a careful equilibrium in capability which would challenge, but not overwhelm her, while also skipping ahead when she got too close.

This method may have been fine for Lee to measure her progress, since if Tenten was improving he would need to exert more effort; but to Tenten a sign of improvement would mean inflicting bodily harm. A sense of pride prevented her from saying this to Lee, so she channeled her disgruntlement into her attacks, building them with fiercer movements.

The added fuel to this fire began when Lee casually spoke on an abrupt topic in the midst of sparring. "Did Sakura return to the hospital to see you run?" he asked as he blocked her.

"Yes – she did!" Tenten gasped while throwing a series of punches.

He slightly frowned in contemplation. "Perhaps I should have put aside training that day."

Tenten nearly fell over after executing a roundhouse kick. To hear Lee saying something so blasphemous just so he could see the girl he liked was inconceivable. "Are you serious??"

Her reaction was bewildering to Lee. He artlessly replied, "Why would I not be?"

In response, Tenten made a face and resumed her assault on Lee. Backed by a flame of irritation, she more than ever was intent on striking the boy. It seemed to be that whenever Sakura came into the picture, Lee was prone to drop any prior plans; just like in the Forest of Death when their squad was to regroup at the assigned meeting place, but Lee opted to get into a fight with some sound-nins. She was so consumed in her thoughts that Tenten wasn't prepared when Lee jumped up to avoid her attack. Her left punch stayed on its path and painfully struck the tree trunk left in Lee's wake.

She yelped and retracted her hand to cradle it with her right. Lee said something about focusing and Tenten bitterly suppressed her annoyance at both herself and Lee. She distracted herself by examining her hand, white scrapes and spots of red speckling her knuckles. Lee came close to her holding a lengthy roll of bandage.

"I'm not hurt that badly," she said.

"Yes, but if we continue training it would not be good if dirt got into those minor injuries."

She would have rebutted, but something told her that Lee would be insistent; so she held her hand out.

Lee started to expertly wrap the bandage around and between her fingers, then across her knuckles and hand. Tenten was the only weapons specialist in the village. Despite her regular use of sharp, pointed ninja tools, her hands were mysteriously kept in pristine condition. There was hardly ever so much as a scratch on them. It was a shame to see them marred.

"Lee, you don't have to go that far," Tenten said when he began to wind past her wrist.

"That may be, but it will be easier to keep the bandage in place. Plus, it will make you look like a fighter rather than someone who is injured."

Tenten was surprised that Lee had taken aesthetics into consideration; given his own choice of appearance.

When he was finished Tenten flexed her fingers, eyes going over Lee's handiwork.

He grinned and placed his hands on his hips. "With one arm bandaged like that you resemble Neji."

She looked at Lee, then back at her bandaged arm. It was true that Neji wore a bandage like this, but it was on his right arm instead of his left. She wondered where he was right now…

"Tenten, let us work on your strength and speed!" Lee was rummaging through a small satchel he had brought to the training grounds, which Tenten eyed with curiosity and dubiousness. He produced a number of weights set into bindings, one for each limb of the human body. Tenten was now simply dubious. If those weights were anything like the ones Lee wore… and they were.

The instant Lee strapped them to her limbs, gravity became her sworn enemy. It was a struggle just to stand upright with the incredible mass around her wrists pulling her down, and it felt as though her feet were nailed to the ground. "L-Lee, this is too much weight!"

"Nonsense, Tenten. The more you pack on the faster you will improve."

'That logic is flawed…'

A hearty chuckle cut through the air, announcing the arrival of their sensei. "Giving Tenten quite the workout, aren't you, Lee?"

Lee straightened like a soldier and faced him. "Yes! Guy-sensei!"

He chuckled again. "As expected from my favourite student."

"Guy-sensei!" Lee looked like he was about to have another one of his dramatic moments.

Tenten fumed from watching them. It was obvious, and expected that Guy would favour Lee over herself and Neji. Lee looked up to their sensei, and Guy was fond of Lee's tenacious spirit and ability. Still, Guy didn't have to make blatant remarks like that – in front of another one of his students no less. She looked away and focused on moving her body forward.

Lee heard her grunting and the shift of her feet. He turned back to her and whooped, assigning her the unreachable goal of ten laps around the village. At her snail's pace, Tenten couldn't even complete one by the time the sky began to darken. Lee assured her with more practice she would be able to, but Tenten didn't have the energy to care.

She returned home free of the weights, the muscles in her arms and legs sore from bearing them. She took a quick shower and changed into a clean set of clothes before digging up some leftovers from the refrigerator. While waiting for the food to heat on the stove, Tenten sat sprawled in her chair at the kitchen table, speculating whether or not she could expect every session with Lee to be like today.

'Probably…' she wearily thought. Training with Lee was different from training with Neji. Everything seemed to be on fast forward. She wondered if she would be able to keep up. Then she decided she had to. The whole reason she had agreed to work with Lee was so she could become a better shinobi.

Her hand brushed against neat piles of paper she had left on the table – the notes she had taken from the library books. They really should have been put away instead of left in the open where they wordlessly mocked her.

* * *


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: "Naruto" is property of Masashi Kishimoto, Studio Pierrot, Viz Media, etc.

* * *

In the afternoon Sakura was free to do what she wanted. Most of these instances gave her time to practice or study medical ninjutsu on her own, but on other days she ran errands or whatever else she liked. Today that meant she would be taking a walk through the village. She didn't have any particular destination in mind. Just wandering the streets of Konoha, watching the other villagers going about their business amidst the buildings lining the path provided her a casual entertainment.

Through the light crowd Sakura recognized a girl her age wearing a grey hooded coat, her hands clasped neatly in front of her. "Hi, Hinata! Are you waiting for someone?"

She was slightly startled by Sakura's unexpected presence at her side, but quickly recovered to answer her. "Y-Yes, Shino and Kiba." Hinata made a faint gesture to the family restaurant she was standing in front of. "Kurenai-sensei is treating us today."

Sakura's expression softened. "Hmm… that sounds nice…" There weren't many times she could remember spending causal time with her own team. She wished they could have. Sasuke abandoned the village; Naruto was on a three-year training journey; and she had no idea where Kakashi could be. Who knew when they would be together again…

"Sakura, are you alright?" Hinata's voice cut through her thoughts.

"Oh – yeah!" Sakura forced a cheery expression. "I'm fine, Hinata." Her reply did nothing to change the worried look Hinata had. She was suddenly frightful of the Hyuga's pale eyes, imagining they could see not just her chakra network, but her very soul. She excused herself and said goodbye, walking past her and down the street.

Her stroll wasn't the same as before, and Sakura was very conscious of it. She had been walking by herself, but she didn't feel the sense of solitude that she did now. It was too much to bear.

- - -

The Hyuga compound was quiet, familiar. He often sat outside on the veranda, emptying his mind, meditating. It was part of his own training that he did on a regular basis. Yet, he had never had this much of a problem clearing his mind. Neji would close his eyes, blanking his inner eye into nothing but white space, thinking of nothing; but then someone would intrude. Not physically, but mentally.

Into the white space, like a painting on a canvas, a girl with brunette hair, dark brown eyes, and a carefree smile would swirl into view. It bothered Neji that his subconscious was allowing her to constantly intrude on his meditation. He was lost as to why this was happening. Perhaps it was because of their cancelled training sessions; but a reason like that only annoyed Neji.

He closed his eyes and tried again. She appeared again. Well, if she would not go away then Neji decided he would stare at her and will her to; but holding her image did not have that effect. Instead of disappearing, she began doing other things: walking, leaping, throwing kunai, talking, laughing. Neji frowned.

Finally, she was still again, and waving. For a split-second he had the idea that maybe it was him she was waving at, but then someone else joined her in the white expanse; a boy with a bowl cut wearing a green jumpsuit.

Neji snapped his eyes open and scowled. This was ridiculous.

- - -

"She's been discharged??"

"That's right. She's been out of the hospital for a few days now."

Sakura stood shocked in front of the reception desk. Amidst her tangle of emotions she groped for something to say. "But… why?"

"The Hokage decided she was well enough for it." The nurse tilted her head to the side. "I thought she would have told you. You'd visited so often."

A thick pain coursed through Sakura's chest and throat; an unexpected and upsetting reaction. She left the hospital feeling more miserable than beforehand.

What was she thinking going there? She had wanted company, any company. Tenten was the first person to come to mind. Sakura shook her head. Just because they had spent some time together it didn't mean they were friends… but it did mean _something_ to Sakura. Her gloom was replaced by bitterness, although she wasn't sure who it was toward.

She began a resolute route to the Yamanaka flower shop. She didn't know what she would say, but she needed to be with _someone_. It should have been Ino anyway. They were childhood friends, renewed friends. Ino would be there for her…

The shop didn't look busy. Sakura was glad for it. She opened the door and saw Ino sitting at the counter leaning on her arms. Blue eyes flicked up and looked at her. Sakura smiled and pushed the door open, but was suddenly pulled back.

The next thing Sakura knew she was being dragged down the street, running to keep up with the person who had grabbed her hand. Sakura blinked in confusion as she focused on the figure, and nearly gasped when she realized who it was. She was so stunned she didn't even notice the villagers they passed by giving them queer looks. "T-Tenten!"

"Sorry about this, but there's something I want to do," she replied without looking back.

Sakura felt annoyed at her then for several reasons, but she couldn't think about it for too long. She was close to nearly tripping several times. "W-Wait! You're going too fast!"

Tenten suddenly stopped running and Sakura bumped against her. She turned and looked at Sakura. "Does that mean I'm faster than you are?"

Sakura thought it was a strange question to ask in this situation, almost random. There wasn't a trace of anything in her voice that suggested she was trying to tease her however, so she admitted, "Yeah, I guess so."

A gradual smile spread across Tenten's face. "Well, we'll see."

They were standing in the middle of the street, and while they were still Sakura finally noticed the onlookers they had been attracting. It was terribly embarrassing to think that all these people had been watching them running through the village hand in hand. Hand in hand… Tenten was still holding Sakura's hand. It didn't feel like soft flesh. She looked down and saw Tenten's hand was wrapped in a bandage that went up to her elbow.

She was about to ask about it when Tenten let go of her and cool air replaced the warm contact. What really threw her off though was Tenten bending down with her back to her and grabbing her legs. Sakura shrieked as she was lifted onto Tenten's back and she reflexively threw her arms around her neck. "Wait, what are you doing??"

"I'll carry you there," replied Tenten, rising to pick up Sakura from the ground.

"I can follow you by foot!" she desperately countered, but Tenten was already on the move.

"This way is better."

'Better for _who_??' Sakura inwardly screeched. The villagers were again staring at them and Sakura felt mortified. Tenten was either completely oblivious to the attention or was ignoring it. She really didn't understand her.

Pressed against Tenten's back, Sakura was close enough to say whatever she liked and Tenten would have heard it. She could continue arguing with her; ask about the bandage; inquire as to where they were going; get an answer as to why she said nothing about her hospital release. Sakura gripped Tenten's shoulders – bare, because her shirt was sleeveless; soft and delicate, because she was a girl.

"Don't drop me."

"Of course I won't."

Tenten carried Sakura out into the forest where the oldest trees resided, and she bent so Sakura could slip off her back. The trees towered over them, large and expansive with the branches blocking their view of the sky.

"Okay!" Tenten held a hand out to the one with the greatest trunk. "We're going to race up this tree!"

Sakura goggled at her. "_Huh?_ Why?"

"Running along surfaces such as walls or water requires decent chakra control. Use of medical ninjutsu needs even greater control. If you're training under Lady Tsunade that must mean you're very adept at it. I want to see it for myself."

"Chakra control is one thing but a speed race… I already said that you're faster."

"I carried you here, so I'm a little out of breath. It'll balance itself out."

'Really, I'm not sure what the point of this race is…' Sakura gazed up at the tree. She was already here and Tenten had gone to the length of abducting her to have a race. Her eyes settled on Tenten who was smiling at her. She gave in. It had been a while since she had any physical exercise anyway.

She took her place at the base of the tree with Tenten and waited for her to count down. 1… 2… 3! The only sound in their ears was that of their feet clapping against the tree trunk. Sakura concentrated on waving through the branches, having only a vague idea as to where Tenten was; but it was always further ahead. She wondered if it would be possible to surpass Tenten… another rival.

"Forehead Girl!"

Sakura's focus wavered and her foot slipped against the tree bark. She yelped and fell back, forgetting to keep the chakra flowing into her other foot. The branches she tried to grasp only smacked her arms. Air was rushing past her, blowing her hair into face so she could barely see how much further down she was. Gravity was rapidly bringing her closer the ground, and she prayed that Tsunade would be able to heal whatever injuries she would gain.

Something cool and solid snaked around her ankle. There was a slight jerk, and Sakura was not longer falling. She was dangling in the air by one leg and looking upside down at Tenten. The elder girl was holding the sharp end of a kusari-gama and the chain leading overhead was taught. Then the other end must be…

"Are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah," Sakura replied, although she could feel the blood rushing to her head. "Thank you."

"Can you pull yourself up?"

"I'll try." She leaned up and put all her upper body strength into reaching for the chain at her leg, and started when a pair of hands pushed up against her back. "Ino?"

She heard Ino's slightly strained voice reply, "Hurry up and grab the chain!"

Sakura obliged and gripped the chain, hoisting herself to her ensnared ankle to unravel it. When she succeeded she swung herself to the safety of a nearby branch. "Thanks for the help."

Ino huffed. "I can't believe you fell. I didn't know you were so clumsy."

Bristling, Sakura opened her mouth to snap back at her.

"I don't think she's clumsy."

The girls turned to Tenten, who had just about finished gathering the chain of her kusari-gama.

"I think she's just easily distracted."

It seemed as though Ino had momentarily forgotten about her presence. Now that Tenten was in full view, her hands clenched and her brow furrowed. "You!" Ino's tone was accusatory. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Excuse me?"

"You kidnap Sakura in broad daylight and then parade her around the village making a spectacle of yourselves!"

Tenten didn't look the least bit offended. Resting a hand on her hip, she quirked an eyebrow. "What are you talking about? She didn't have to come with me if she didn't want to. We're not even doing anything wrong."

To this, Ino couldn't find the words to respond. She gritted her and silently fumed.

"Ino…" Sakura had leapt to the branch where she stood. "Did you follow us here?"

Ino turned her face away, feeling quite pathetic under their gazes. "… I'm sorry for interrupting. I should be heading back."

Sakura called out for her to wait but Ino had already jumped down from the tree. She stared after her, saying, "I don't get it. Why did she come here?"

"She was probably worried about you."

"Worried?" Sakura repeated, her eyes wide. "About me?"

"Why do you sound so surprised?" There was a laugh laced in Tenten's words. "You're friends, aren't you?"

"Well… yes, but…"

"Then that's all the reason she needs. You should go talk with her."

"Huh? What about our race?"

"We can do that some other time. Clearing things up with Ino should come first."

Sakura dropped her gaze. A small part of her wanted to stay with Tenten. It was her she wanted to see in the first place after all; but she also knew she was right about Ino. "Yeah… thanks, Tenten." She started hopping down the tree branches, wondering how much distance Ino had managed to put between them so far.

"By the way," Tenten added before she was out of earshot, "why did she call you 'Forehead Girl'?"

Sakura would have answered but she stopped short. Tenten was looking at her with absolute innocence. It was incredible. She shook her head and said, "Never mind."

- - -

Ino purposefully stomped her way back home, feeling all at once irritable and stupid. She had seen Sakura at the door to her family's flower shop, and seen her get carted away before she could even say hello. It was strange. She wanted to investigate. Her father forced her to stay and deal with the current customers before he would allow her to step out, but as soon as that was done Ino took to the direction Sakura had disappeared. Along the way she had asked bystanders if they had seen her, and it was then she found out that the one who had taken her was Tenten.

At first Ino didn't know what to think. She recalled Sakura's disappearances after lessons, and how it was so she could see Tenten. Rivals, she had said. Ino had been mildly concerned. What was it Tenten had in store for Sakura this time that would compel her to abruptly make off with her – when it looked like Sakura was intending to visit Ino.

She sighed. There was no reason to make big deal over it. Sakura could be with whomever she liked; she could have as many friends, as many rivals…

"Ino!"

A tingle prickled the blonde's skin. It had been a while since she had heard Sakura call her name like that. Not since they were young children when Sakura tagged along with her. It even sounded childlike.

Sakura caught up to her, slightly panting from having rushed. "Ino, what's going on?"

Ino continued walking and Sakura followed. She was considering how to reply to Sakura. Her problem was trivial, uncalled for, and admittedly embarrassing. Running after Sakura was as bad as Tenten hauling her off.

She looked at Sakura with an aggrieved smile. "Ah, it's nothing. I was making a fuss over nothing."

"Are you sure?" Sakura was frowning.

Ino puffed herself up. "Of course I'm sure! So, why were you coming by the flower shop?"

"Oh, I… I was coming to see you."

"Alright, let's go." Ino reached over and gave Sakura a slight push from behind, surprising her.

Sakura stumbled but caught herself, and she shot Ino a confused look. Ino was simply content.

"Well, are we going or not?"

Sakura suddenly felt like a kid again, with Ino at her side ready to cheer her up. She wasn't as lonely as she thought.

- - -

"Two meat and two red bean, please."

The shopkeeper placed the steamed buns into a paper bag and passed it to Tenten, who dropped some money on the counter in exchange.

After things with Sakura hadn't gone as planned, Tenten wandered back into the village to settle her empty stomach. An immediate snack, and maybe some for later, would do the trick, so she stopped by the manju shop. Apparently someone else had the same idea.

"_Sweet_, red bean!" A hand reached into the bag in her arm and plucked one of the buns.

Tenten's mouth dropped open in astonishment. She whirled around and found the thief already biting into the pallid dough. "Anko-sensei!?"

"Yo," Anko mumbled through her mouthful of manju. She swallowed. "Fancy meeting you here."

Tenten frowned; now more bothered than anything else. "You're paying me back for that, aren't you?"

"Thing is, I _would_, but I don't have any money on me."

'Then why are you here??' Tenten ruefully hugged the bag to her person. She didn't have any more money so buying a replacement was out of the question. She started walking away. "Ahh, being a special jonin must not be that great if you're mooching for food."

Anko followed her, popping the last remnants of the sweet bun into her mouth. "Hey, c'mon, don't be like that." She glanced at the kusari-gama slung around Tenten's waist. "What have you been up to?"

"Training," Tenten automatically replied.

"Ah, boring."

"How in the world did you become a special jonin?" She sensed Anko looking at her sideways. She stopped to face her and blinked. Anko's demeanor had changed from miscreant to a somber adult.

Slowly, Anko let herself smile a mirthless smirk. "Well, wouldn't _you_ like to know?" She threw her hands up in a shrug. "Can't you just attribute it to my awesome skills and intellect?"

Tenten rolled her eyes. Evidently modesty was not part of the criteria when designating special jonin.

"You know, you could probably become a special jonin if you wanted to."

The suggestion took Tenten aback. "… What?"

"You specialize in weapons, right? That can come in pretty handy." Anko impishly eyed her. "Plus, I like a girl who has an affinity for sharp, pointy things."

"… You're not getting my other red bean bun."

"I'll pay you back, I really will."

"Yeah, sure you will… Hey! Stop that!" Tenten twisted the bag away. "Don't touch my buns!"

Anko stared at her. Then, a more mischievous smile than before graced her lips. "Now, when you say buns…"

* * *


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: "Naruto" is property of Masashi Kishimoto, Studio Pierrot, Viz Media, etc.  
The scene with Hanabi and Tenten is derived from "Firecracker Tales" by TeaLeavesGreen – much thanks for allowing me to use the characterizations/events.

* * *

Making passing innuendos in public, to a girl who was barely a teenager, was not wise. You could never be sure who might overhear… someone like the girl's sensei for instance. Before a stunned Tenten could react to Anko's suggestive leer, Guy had suddenly leapt forth from round the corner, shouting and pointing a reproachful finger at the special jonin.

Anko was very unhappy about this development. Like last time, Guy could make a production out of anything he found fault with, and this was certain to be the case now. He was in a tirade over her shameful misbehavior, the majority of which she was tuning out with an irritated look on her face.

While Guy was verbally debating who to report Anko to, Tenten had managed to slip away to lie back on the roof of a building with her half-empty bag of manju. She was gazing up at the sky, a clear ciel decorated with downy cloud formations; and like them, her thoughts were drifting. It was difficult to tell whether Anko had been serious about her attaining the rank of special jonin some day. In any case, she still had to achieve becoming a chuunin.

"Hey, you're in my spot."

Tenten craned her head in the direction of the voice and saw a boy standing a couple of meters away from her. His hands were in his pockets and he was looking at her with a flat expression. "Pardon?" she said.

"I said you're in my spot," he repeated with the same, plane tone.

She lazily turned her face back to the sky and closed her eyes. With no ill intent, she said, "Do you really need this particular spot? There's plenty of floor space, you know."

Shikamaru stared, bemused, at the girl stretched out on the roof, who showed no desire to move any time soon. This was definitely a bother. Usually when he came up here it was deserted. That's what made it such an ideal location for a nap. He considered going somewhere else, but that would require additional exertion on his part, and he was dead-tired. Reluctantly, he stepped closer and mimicked her, on the floor with hands pillowing his head, but tented a leg to drape the other across it.

… … …

… Silence. The same silence he was used to, but unusual because of her presence. … She was quiet. He turned and looked at her. Her eyes were still shut and she seemed perfectly at ease, like he wasn't even there. Weird… he had never met a girl who was this calm. Introverted, sure; obnoxious, definitely – but something in the middle? It escaped him. Well, whatever. As long as she was quiet…

"Why did you forfeit your Chuunin Exam match against Temari?"

… So much for _that_, thought. He shut his eyes as if to block her out. "Give me a break… I came here to relax, not talk about pointless things." He sensed her shift into a sitting position, her shadow muting the light against his eyelids.

"It's not pointless. You could have won."

There was a faint twitch between his eyebrows, a sign that he was thinking. "You don't have to hold a grudge because you lost to her. It was obvious you were going to lose anyway."

She tensed, and her gaze upon him sharpened. "That's not what this is about. You had her, you could have made it a clear victory, but you gave up because you were out of chakra. You could have tried something else."

He flipped onto his side, facing away from her. "Yeah, I had no chakra left. That was it for me, I had enough."

Had enough? He was satisfied with what he _had_ done? True enough, his match with Temari had managed to enrapture a previously intolerant audience who only wanted to see Sasuke. His strategic patience had led an unsuspecting Temari into a trap that left her defenseless and bending to the will of his shadow.

He continued to lie inert beside her, intent on avoiding the conversation and getting some rest. He was totally different from the rest of her team, and even herself. There was no motivation, no drive. What he did have was his intellect; his composed intellect which earned him chuunin status and made him leader for the Sasuke retrieval mission.

She looked out over the village. It was still in the process of recovery, but was draped in a veil of tranquility. "I guess it worked out for you in the end."

Shikamaru stayed motionless, but his eyes were open. '… Not everything worked out.'

- - -

Over tea and rice crackers in the sitting room, Sakura had started her talk with Ino under the pretense of how their lessons with Tsunade were coming along and what they should expect for the future. Eventually they succumbed to idle chatter, but when that subsided, Sakura remembered why she had sought out Ino in the first place. She wouldn't tell Ino though, that she had been feeling lonesome. It would have made her look like the insecure girl she was years ago. Afterward, she politely left the Yamanaka's without knowing where she would go next. As she strolled along, her thoughts wandered to where Tenten might have gone off to since they parted…

"Would you give it a rest, already? I was only joking."

"So-called 'jokes' like that should not be directed at underage shinobi – and one of my students no less!"

Coming up on an intersection, Sakura saw Anko and Guy having an animated squabble as they crossed in front of her. If her ears weren't deceiving her, it sounded like Anko had said something lewd to one of Guy's squad members. Sakura made a face. She knew that the second procter for the Chuunin Exams could be high-spirited, but this perverted side was new; and something Sakura wasn't sure she was glad to be aware of.

"Look, I'm sure she didn't take it seriously. Give the girl some credit."

Sakura stopped in her tracks. 'Girl?'

"That's not the point. I'm beginning to think measures must be taken to keep you away from her. No good can come from you being near Tenten! First she's knocked unconscious and then her innocence is tainted…!"

"Don't talk like I'm some hooligan! Besides, at her age, I'm sure she's heard worse."

Guy gaped at her with horror before going off on a tangent about how kids are growing up too fast these days.

"Those two…" Sakura's weary gaze followed after them. "They have no problem arguing in public, do they?"

"Looks like it."

Sakura jumped and spun about, staggering back, wild eyes settling on the interloper. "Augh! Tenten!" She wondered if the girl always had this habit of popping up unexpectedly.

Tenten pleasantly smiled. "Hey, still up for that race?"

"Eh – ah… Sure?" Sakura wasn't thinking very clearly. She was still in shock from the back-to-back preceding events, but when she heard herself agree she quickly added, "But we'll both walk there."

Tenten's smile widened. "If that's what you want." She let Sakura fall into step with her and they began their trek through the village to reach the forest. A few seconds into their pace, Tenten queried, "How were things with Ino?"

"Fine, actually. She wasn't upset and we got to talking."

"That's good."

It somewhat bothered Sakura that she couldn't tell if Tenten really did think it was good, or if she was merely saying so for the sake of being agreeable. "Um, if you don't mind my asking… do you know what Guy-sensei and Anko-sensei were talking about?"

There was a slight distortion in Tenten's expression. It could have been either disapproval or exasperation. "Hmm… Anko-sensei said something to me and Guy-sensei overheard it. He's just being melodramatic."

"Oh…"

"What? Do you want to know what it is she said?"

For a split-second Sakura's eyes dilated, and she promptly averted her them but held her chin up. "No, I do not," she firmly replied. "Whatever it is I'm sure I can live without hearing it." Beside her, she heard Tenten quietly chuckle.

- - -

Her body was limp, resting against the curve between two tree roots. She couldn't remember ever sweating this hard, or having so much difficulty catching her breath. "I can't believe you made us do that ten times."

Sitting across from her, the other girl was doing a better job of controlling her fatigue. Her chest rose and sank with each steadying breath, but she sat upright and remained joyous over their accomplishment. "At least now you know to work on your stamina."

She expelled a tired breath of air in response, and was silent for a moment. She tilted her face up and felt the air cool her skin. Her tone turned wistful. "When Kakashi-sensei had us climb trees for the first time I was the only one who was able to properly do it."

"Really?"

Her gaze fell to the forest floor, shaded by the trees and their widely spread branches. Combined with the gentle stillness of the forest, it made the world seem almost like a dream, and just as close and encompassing. "Yeah… Naruto and Sasuke had to work at it for days." They had trained away from her while she kept watch over the workmen at the bridge. They were training again, away from her, while she stayed in the village. Sakura pulled her knees up, feeling unaccountably vulnerable. "I miss them…"

Them – both of them. Tenten did feel sympathetic. She couldn't imagine what she would do if she was in Sakura's position, with her teammates gone, because of a darkness that had begun to encroach upon the village… and taken one of them. "Sakura," she cautiously said. "You know what he is, don't you? Lady Tsunade may not have declared it, but… he's a rogue ninja."

It felt like a kunai had been plunged into Sakura's chest. Her body shook as if it were so. The blood had gone from her face, giving her the likeness of someone terribly sick. "Sasuke… will come back." There was a broken quality to her character.

Seeing her act like this was disconcerting. It was obvious Sasuke was an uncomfortable subject, but there was more to this than the desired outcome. "You don't know that for sure. He chose to leave, to abandon the village. One of these days, we might have to –" Tenten caught herself, diffident over what her next words might be.

Sakura picked it up. "No! That won't happen!" She pressed her fists against the wood of the tree, tears gathering at her eyes. Discussing this, and the possibilities, was sapping the energy from her. Her voice fell to a low pitch that shuddered as she blinked and the tears fell. "We'll bring him back. Me, and Naruto… we'll bring him back."

'… Naruto…' Tenten had to admit she had underestimated him. She never would have thought that, under his bravado, he had the power to back it up and ultimately defeat Neji in both body and spirit. Neji was no longer burdened by his fatalistic outlook on life. She could tell he had changed simply by the way he treated the rest of the team, now with more attention on teamwork and a kinder eye to Lee. If anyone could get convince Sasuke to return, Naruto Uzumaki could.

For a time silence hung between the girls like a curtain, and Sakura managed to calm her haze of emotions. Talking about Sasuke left her feeling exposed and fragile; enough for her to murmur, "I nearly went with him."

Tenten was on her feet, gaping at Sakura in her sorrowful state. "_What? _Why?"

Sakura remained silent. She withdrew into herself, gloomier than ever. At once, Tenten knew what it was; however, that was no reason to go rogue. He had a pretty face, but… She had seen how harsh Sasuke had been with Sakura prior to the Chuunin Exam preliminary matches. Sakura was crying, and he was glaring, gripping her arm and telling her to keep quiet. There was a baleful zeal in him that rivaled his compassion, which clashed in the Forest of Death when he took down the Sound Ninjas and protected his teammates.

'She had to fall for such a guy… and hard.' Lee crossed her mind. Whatever chances he imagined he had with Sakura seemed to have diminished. He was just as blind as Sakura was when it came to the person they liked.

"He wouldn't let me," she heard Sakura mumble. Tenten thought, There it was… the bit of Sasuke that showed he wasn't an absolute lost cause. He didn't bring Sakura into his increasingly darkening world.

She walked toward Sakura and sat beside, but slightly in front of her, so she could see her face. "I'm glad you told me this." She watched as Sakura raised her eyes to her; shimmering green rimmed with red from weeping. Tenten pointed a thumb at herself. "If you do decide to chase after him on your own, I will personally bring you back."

- - -

Another kunai hit the dirt with a dull thud, followed by a glower from a young Hyuga. After having managed to get on the board, completely missing was a huge disappointment and failure. She picked up a shuriken and threw it – it landed just outside the painted target on the wooden post.

"Hello, Hanabi."

The young girl swiveled and saw Neji's teammate, the girl, poised with her arms behind her back. She panicked for a second, speculating whether or not she had seen her awry throws, before composing herself like a Hyuga should. "Hello," she said a tad stiffly.

"Is Neji here? I wanted to talk with him."

"Neji is sparring with my father. He should be done soon."

"Oh, alright. I'll wait for him, then." Tenten crossed the grounds and took a place on the verandah, much to Hanabi's chagrin.

She wouldn't let the presence of an audience disrupt her training however, so she gathered herself and refocused on her goal. With another shuriken in hand, she tossed it across the length between herself and the target. It sank into the wood just above the ground. Hanabi bit the inside of her lip.

A kunai this time – twenty-eight centimeters from the center. Another kunai – twenty-one centimeters. A shuriken – fifteen. Shuriken – twelve. Kunai – seventeen.

How hard was it to get _one_ in the center? The bull's-eye seemed to be glowing red among the monochrome ninja tools, like a fire that needed putting out. Hanabi gripped the handle of a kunai, aware that the other girl was silently watching her efforts. Having someone witness her failings was more shameful and flustering, especially when this person was…

"How… am I supposed to do this?" Hanabi felt like the words were being yanked out of her by force.

"Hm?"

She shifted so she was looking at Tenten, her pale eyes stern. "What is the right way to throw these?" she said with a mix of firmness and controlled frustration. When Tenten began to show signs of laughter, Hanabi stiffened indignantly.

"Hey, relax." A faint smile was all that remained of Tenten's mirth. "I only laughed because you reminded me of Neji. Using ninja tools wasn't one of his strong suits either," she added as an afterthought.

Oh… if Neji was like this as well, there wasn't anything to be ashamed of.

Tenten sprang onto her feet and walked over, lifting a kunai from the pile with a finger and spinning it into her hand. The metallic weight was familiar and comforting. She flipped it a few times before settling into a stance. "Okay, watch how I do it." She drew her arm across her body and then whipped it forward, releasing the kunai and shooting it toward the target.

_Shunk_ – it hit dead-center.

"Alright, now it's your turn." Tenten stepped aside for Hanabi to take her place.

She stood before the target, kunai in hand, and did her best to replicate what Tenten had done. Unfortunately, the end result was far from it. The kunai swerved to the right, completely missing the wooden dummy. Hanabi suppressed the distress she could feel daring to show on her face.

"Um… _okay_…" Seeing such a clear miss evidently baffled Tenten as well. "I think you're concentrating too much."

Hanabi looked as though Tenten had just told her Neji used to wear skirts to the academy. "Excuse me?"

"Imagining you're going to hit it is fine and all, but if you think about it too much you lose sight of other important facets." Tenten picked up a shuriken and began tossing it up and down as easily as if it were a ball. "Certain weapons are about being an extension of your body. Using them should feel as naturally as when you strike with your palm." She swept her arm to the side where the shuriken spun off to connect with the wood.

It was quite a feat, Hanabi privately thought, to be able to reach the target with only a moment's glance. She nodded slowly, thinking over Tenten's instruction, and prepared to try again.

"Do you see the target? Good. Now close your eyes."

"What?" The word fell from Hanabi's mouth.

"It's so you won't feel tempted to think only about where it's going to hit."

Grudgingly, Hanabi did as she was told and lidded her eyes. She immediately felt lost without her sight, seeing only a dull lightness through the dark. "Remember where the target was," she heard Tenten say, and she visualized the wooden dummy with its crimson target, situated clearly in the shadows. She threw, and as the kunai left her hand it felt like part of her was going with it.

_Thunk!_ She opened her eyes. The kunai was eight centimeters from the center.

"That's it!" Tenten approvingly exclaimed. "Keep that up and you'll get it in no time."

Hanabi was still staring at the kunai she had just thrown. Was this really working? Only one way to find out… This time she tried a shuriken, keeping in mind the way she had felt when she threw the kunai – seven point five centimeters. Six. Five. Anticipation and glee was bubbling inside her.

"Tenten?" A boy's voice spoke.

The shuriken slipped from Hanabi's grasp and flew into the bushes. She inwardly cursed, not so much because of the interruption, but because she allowed herself to be distracted and showed her cousin an inglorious moment.

"Hey, Neji." Tenten stifled her amused response to Hanabi's mistake and went toward her teammate. She started to move into the direction he was facing, then turned back and said, "Keep up the good work, Hanabi! Good luck!"

Hanabi simply watched as Neji walked away with her, down the verandah and around the corner.

Neji had just completed his training for the day with Hiashi, and was on his way to clean up before dinner. Coming across Tenten with Hanabi had been an unanticipated surprise. He queried, "Hanabi asked for your help?" as they traveled deeper into the Hyuga complex.

"Yes, she did," Tenten breezily answered.

"Hm…" Neji was quiet for a moment, thoughtful. "Well, if there's one person to ask for advice on ninja tools, it would be you."

Tenten looked at him with slight wonderment. It was unusual for Neji to give direct compliments toward others. She supposed it was another one of those things that was changing about him. "Ah… thanks."

He nodded. "Is Lee able to dodge all your attacks yet?"

"I haven't done that with him, actually."

There was a minute pause before Neji replied. "Oh?"

"For the most part he's been helping me improve my close-combat, among other things."

Neji's steps abruptly halted, causing Tenten to stop as well. He was thinking again, and then: "It's true that Lee excels in that area, but he could benefit from facing your ranged assaults. Attacks such as those would be difficult for him to cope with."

"Uh… Yes… I suppose you're right."

He faced her and curved the discussion to what he thought might be a lighter matter. "What is it you came here for?"

Tenten looked hesitant, almost nervous. It was enough to tell Neji that this would not be a light subject. She rarely ever looked that way. "I wanted to ask you something," she began, and then took a moment to breathe and steel herself. "How angry were you when you thought your father was forced to die in Lord Hiashi's place?"

An imperceptible flicker of emotion passed Neji's features. "Why would you want to know about that?"

She slackened her posture and Tenten's expression revealed a melancholic guilt. "I said some things to Sakura about Sasuke."

"… I see…"

"I don't understand why he left. If it's power he wants why doesn't he work for it like the rest of us do?"

Neji's bearing took on an established air. "We don't know the full story, Tenten. He left the village for a reason. There's something he wants he can't seem to get here."

She cast her gaze into the garden, which was sparsely ornamented with a stone path running alongside a small pond. A couple of birds were splashing around in the water, while another was content to sit in the shadow of a tree. "I didn't know him or anything, but he is – he was – a Konoha ninja. A shinobi leaving a village means he's taken their secrets with them, but there's something else." Her eyes darkened. "Sasuke dismissed the feelings of those who care about him."

"It was his decision," Neji stated. "Let's just hope there's a better outcome."

Tenten was unresponsive. The bird beneath the tree had flown away.

He noted her subdued mood with some apprehension. Without much thought, he said, "Would you care to stay for supper?"

She looked up at him, her temper doing a turnaround so her eyes were bright and clear; perhaps because the invitation was so unexpected. "Is it soba?"

He blinked. "How did you know?"

Tenten shrugged and clasped her hands behind her back. "It was just a guess. Herring soba is your favourite."

* * *


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: "Naruto" is property of Masashi Kishimoto, Studio Pierrot, Viz Media, etc.

* * *

Dreams are mysterious things. They can seem so real even through the illusionary mist. You forget everything else and see only this fantasy, or nightmare, full of endless possibilities of pleasure and pain. They can be familiar, or strange. When you awaken, it's as if it never happened, or it's as vivid as a true memory; and if you remember, dreams can embed ideas in your head you would otherwise never think of.

For Sakura, it was common for her when she fell asleep at night that her conscience would drum up images of her friends. Sometimes her dreams were of happy times, smiling with her team as Kakashi sent them on another adventure. Once in a while she was with Ino, playing as kids or engaging in another round of banter. It was normal to dream of people she was close to; and it was normal to have nightmares about them as well.

The space before Sakura would always be dim, murky, or gray. Sasuke was contemptuous. Naruto was furious. She was fretting, crying, as the boys fought, and a dark pattern crept over Sasuke's face and body. Then Orochimaru would come, Sasuke would disappear, and Sakura couldn't move at all. Even these sinister dreams were normal.

Sakura slowly woke up with her body feeling light and warm underneath the covers. She could still remember her dream, although maybe that was because what she dreamt of happened only yesterday.

_I will personally bring you back._

She sounded so dauntless. Sakura sat staring back at her, astounded and mystified that she would say such a thing to her. It reminded Sakura of when Lee said he would always protect her. Lee was nothing if not earnest, and she realized that in the Forest of Death when he had come to her rescue. In comparison, Tenten's way of speaking was similar; but carried a blunt edge. Sakura was both appreciative and resentful of it.

Afterward, Tenten walked her home. It was a quiet walk that had Sakura feeling awkward after their poignant exchange in the forest. When they reached her front door Tenten parted from her with a goodbye, and Sakura watched as she walked away until she could no longer see her.

_I'm glad you told me this._

Sakura flipped onto her stomach and pulled the covers over her head, feeling dormant emotions rising once more. '… Sasuke…'

- - -

Tsunade frowned as she removed her hand from Tenten's forehead. "Still nothing."

The girl resignedly slumped back into her chair, retying her headband. "I see…"

Her lack of improvement seemed to be taking a toll on her spirits, the Hokage noted. Guy's kids seemed to be magnets for difficult disorders. Offering her a sympathetic look, she said, "Would you feel any better if I told you I'm giving you a mission?" She took the Tenten's surprised look as a yes.

The rest of her team was called to join her in Tsunade's office for their mission briefing. The lord of a nearby land had recently hired a group of mercenaries to aid his forces in preventing the attack of advancing enemy troops. They were successful in preventing a raid on the castle, and the mercenaries were compensated for their efforts – but apparently it hadn't been enough to satisfy them. It was suspected that the group had taken important documents with them, which in the wrong hands could compromise the castle's security. The lord requested Konoha's help, for he did not wish to incur the mercenaries' ire by accusing them.

"So it's information retrieval," said Neji, "but isn't there another team more suited for this mission?"

Lee indignantly turned on him. "What do you mean, Neji? Our team is capable of handling any mission no matter the circumstance!"

Tsunade peered at them over her desk. "I'm asking your team to do it because… Tenten's the right type."

"Type?" echoed Guy. "Do you mean her use of long-range attacks?"

"No, I mean she'll appeal to the mercenary leader."

For a moment Guy stood in silence as he comprehended this. Then he launched forward and slapped his hands on the Hokage's desk with lightning speed and intensity. "WAIT A MINUTE! Are you suggesting that we proposition our precious little Tenten in order to obtain this information!?"

"Calm down," Tsunade replied with a touch of impatience. "All she needs to do is get close enough to retrieve it. Also, why do you think I'm sending the rest of you along with her?"

Guy made some sort of unintelligible noise that sounded like a cross between a choke and a sob.

Tsunade gazed intently at the lone female of the team. "So, Tenten… are you ready for this mission?"

Of all the skills kunoichi were expected to learn, seduction was Tenten's least favourite. Sometimes it was fun to be flirtatious, but sidling up to any random male didn't suit her taste. She had yet to require this skill in the field, but knew in the back of her mind that a time might come when it would be necessary. Tenten returned the Sannin's steady, almost challenging, gaze with one of her own. "Yes, Lady Tsunade."

- - -

"You're late, Sakura." Ino was lounging on the couch when Sakura entered through the doorway for their morning lesson.

"Mm…" Sakura distractedly rubbed her arm. "I didn't sleep well last night."

This raised Ino's attention. She thought something had been off with Sakura the day before when she visited. "Yeah, you didn't even properly comb your hair. Here, I'll fix it for you." Ino patted the empty space beside her on the sofa. Sakura obediently shuffled over and flopped into it with her back to Ino, who reached up to gently rake her fingers through the pink tresses. Her hair felt coarser than it had in the Forest of Death, the last time Ino had touched her hair. In fact, back then it felt like silk. She faintly wondered why Sakura wasn't giving it as much attention as before.

In the corridor beyond the room, there was the sound of multiple muffled pairs of footsteps. It was accompanied by voices, growing louder as they came closer.

"You must be excited to finally be going on another mission."

"I wouldn't exactly say excited, but it is nice to be doing what shinobi are meant to do."

Ino saw Sakura start, her head rising as a group of people passed by the entrance. A Rock, a Hyuga, a Might, and…

Tenten, engaged in conversation with Lee, who was blocking Sakura's view of her. Neither of them seemed to notice Sakura. They simply continued on their way, oblivious to her attention on them.

Sakura lowered her head, her sense of morose returning, and yelped when Ino suddenly tugged on her hair. "Ow!"

"Sorry."

- - -

At noon Team Guy was gathered in front of the gates to the village, ready to head off on their mission. In every case Lee and Guy were raring to go, but this time the group's leader was looking uncharacteristically tentative.

"Tenten, do you really want to go through with this?" he asked with concern creasing his features.

She hitched up her backpack and replied, "There's no backing out of a mission."

"Yes!" Lee clenched his hand into a fist. "Excellent answer, Tenten!"

Neji gave him a sideways glance. "Lee, are you even aware of what it is she has to do?"

"Of course I am!" he brightly answered. "She has to make friends with the leader."

Neji wondered what Lee considered the extent of 'make friends' to be. He curved his attention to the girl. "Tenten, don't do anything that's not necessary. We'll cover you."

She nodded. "Yeah."

With a deep breath, Guy composed himself, and then struck the Nice-Guy pose. "Count on us to protect your chastity!"

Her arms went rigid at her sides. "You don't have to say that out loud!" She hoped the shinobi watching the gate from the inside hadn't heard her sensei's outburst.

Lee's eyes flickered to the entry, and his mouth widened into a smile. "Sakura!"

Surprised, Tenten turned and saw the pink-haired girl, standing just inside the great doorway and gazing upon them. Tenten hoped she hadn't heard what Guy said either.

Sakura acknowledged Lee with a polite hello and a smile, but then her eyes were on Tenten and her expression sobered. "Can I speak with you for a sec? I'll be quick."

Her teammates were obliging enough, so after a brief confirmation, Tenten followed Sakura inside a ways from her team and the occupied guard post. "How did you know where to find me?"

"I heard from Shishou that you were going on a… certain mission."

It took a second for Tenten to realize when Sakura said 'shishou,' it was equated with Tsunade. "Oh… yeah, it's no big deal."

Sakura stopped at the end of the gate opposite the guard post and looked at her. "Really?"

"Yeah, it's just something I have to do as a kunoichi."

Sakura didn't reply. In fact, a number of speechless seconds passed before Tenten began feeling an urgency to return to her team.

"Um, Sakura, is there something else you wanted to say? If not, I really have to go. The guys are waiting for –"

"I thought about what you said, about Sasuke. I understand what you were saying, but…" She faltered.

Inwardly, Tenten sighed. 'Still stubborn as ever, I see.'

Sakura then looked Tenten in the eye with renewed resolve. "I'm going to get stronger, to make sure that doesn't happen."

Tenten regarded her for a moment. She hadn't seen Sakura look this resolute since her chuunin exam match against Ino. She couldn't help but smirk. "I look forward to seeing it."

- - -

Tenten stepped out from the bushes, having changed into a modest magenta yukata. Her hair was set into two braids which looped back up and pinned into place. She playfully spun around with her arms outstretched and said, "How do I look?"

Lee's eyes were wide with surprise at her transformation. "Wow, Tenten!" He grinned. "You look like a girl!"

She stilled and looked at him with a critical eye. "What is _that_ supposed to mean?"

Neji showed his own approval by nodding. "It's very convincing."

"You two…"

Guy swooned and began to cry. "An innocent flower about to be plucked by an unworthy hand – !"

'… I'm not asking for their opinion anymore…'

The plan was for Tenten, disguised as a common village girl, to inconspicuously wade into the area the mercenaries were occupying. Through Byakugan, Neji had already identified the precise location of the documents – tucked away inside the mercenary leader's shirt, close to his chest. Guy made another fuss over the mission when Neji announced the location, and Tenten rolled her eyes – not simply because of her sensei's reaction, but because this mission was becoming more troublesome than expected.

While her teammates hid in the shadows, Tenten strolled through the forest along the perimeter of the mercenary camp, making sure to rustle the braches of the shrubbery she passed by. Eventually a couple of men burst forth from the forest, grabbing her arms and hauling her away as she pretended to struggle. Watching from the trees, Guy suppressed an indignant paternal gasp.

The men brought Tenten to their camp, where she saw the glow of a fire before they reached the clearing. The fire was in the center, and situated around its light were members of the mercenary group. Taking a closer look, Tenten realized that not all of them were men.

A few weathered tents were setup as shelter, but the tent on the other side of the fire was twice as large and looked better kept. Sitting in front of its opening was a young man whom Tenten presumed was the leader. She was made to kneel before him, with the men who caught her still gripping her arms. Tenten raised her head, and momentarily forgot what she was supposed to be doing. 'Wow, cute… just my type.'

The leader of the mercenaries had a far prettier face than Tenten would have expected. Deep violet eyes were set against flawless skin, and his sandy blonde hair was tied back from the front, and up from the back. Pierced into his ears were earrings of silver which glowed in the firelight.

"Tsukuyo, sir, we found this girl wandering around the forest," the man to Tenten's right informed.

Remembering herself, Tenten played the part of a helpless girl and said, "Please, I was only looking for herbs when I got lost!"

Their leader tilted his head to one side as he looked at her. "Lost, eh?" He sounded only mildly concerned that a stranger had been traipsing the area surrounding their camp. He righted himself and ordered, "Put her in my tent."

Tenten was carried inside the tent behind him, and she fell onto the blankets lining the bottom. The men left, and in came one of the women whom Tenten had spotted earlier.

"Tsukuyo's finishing some business outside. I'm here to make sure you don't cause any trouble."

"I just want to return to my village."

"That won't be happening tonight," the woman replied in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.

The word 'tonight' stuck out to Tenten. Careful about what she was saying, she asked, "So what will happen to me?" She thought she saw the woman smirk then, and it irritated her. How could another female be fine with what her leader was doing in his tent with a young girl?

Shortly after the leader himself came in and dismissed the woman. Tenten was still feeling resentful and withdrew under his calm gaze.

"You don't have to be so tense," he calmly said, turning his back to her to shed his clothes.

His apparent lack of sympathy did nothing to quell Tenten's mood. "Don't be tense? I was kidnapped, dragged her against my will, and then placed in a tent alone with a – A GIRL?" Tenten was stunned when Tsuyuko turned around, wearing only one layer of clothing which clearly outlined the form of a woman.

Tsuyuko plucked the pins from her hair and sighed. "You sure are lively."

Tenten was hardly paying attention. She was going over the mission in her head and how Tsunade said she was the right type.

"It's not a good idea to be traipsing about in the dark when you're lost." Tsuyuko picked up a nearby blanket and tossed it over Tenten as it ruffled loose. "Get some sleep. I'll escort you to your village in the morning." She took a place beside her, and pulled up a blanket of her own, before settling down for the night.

Tenten remained where she was, staring down perplexedly at the lazing woman. Had she already blown the mission? Her gaze went lower, and she saw stiffness about Tsuyuko's chest – the papers were still there. Tenten eased down onto her arms, quickly formulating her next move. "I didn't think you'd be this courteous."

There was no reply, and it puzzled her. Had she already fallen asleep, or was she simply ignoring her? Either way, Tenten was at a loss for what to do if Tsuyuko was going to be unresponsive. She could see a corner of the papers poking out from underneath Tsuyuko's haori. Uncertain as to what result this would give her, Tenten reached over to retrieve them.

"What are you doing?"

Tenten started, looked down, and saw Tsuyuko's amethyst eyes steadily staring up at her.

"If that's what you wanted," she calmly murmured, "you should have just said so."

There was barely enough time for Tenten to think. Tsuyuko pulled her arm across, forcing Tenten to lower her face, bringing it close to Tsuyuko's.

"Dynamic Entry!!" A gush of air hit Tenten as Tsuyuko's tent was blown back, ripped out of the ground by Guy's flying kick. Her sensei flung the tent aside and turned to point at Tsuyuko. "Unhand Tenten, you villainous woman!"

A flicker of annoyance appeared on Tsuyuko's face. "So you had chaperones, huh?"

Hearing signs of a scuffle, Tenten twisted around. Lee and Neji were engaged with the mercenary group, holding them back as some attempted to come to their leader's aid.

"Tch, whatever. This is more trouble than it's worth." Tsuyuko removed the documents from her person and threw them at Tenten. "Take it and leave."

Tenten blinked at her. "Um, what?"

- - -

"The mission was a success Milady, and all while protecting Tenten's virtue!"

It was official. This was the most awkward mission report Tenten had ever experienced. How many times was Guy going to refer to her chastity? She was tempted to ask Tsunade whether or not she knew about Tsuyuko's gender, but refrained from it; deciding that if so, she must have had her reasons. Hopefully they were more reasonable than Tsuyuko's…

It turned out the only reason the mercenary leader bothered snatching sensitive documents was so a shinobi village would send a kunoichi after her – to fool around with. At that point Tenten wasn't sure whether blood was rushing to her face or draining from it. A kunoichi was different from a harlot!

In any case, they returned the documents to the lord and stayed the night, before returning to Konaha in the morning.

"So it went off without a hitch?"

"Aside from needlessly bursting into the camp, it went well," Neji stoically replied.

The Hokage lurched forward in her seat. "Bursting into their camp?? What kind of shinobi are you!?"

"It was to protect young Tenten's innocence!" Guy adamantly insisted.

"Sensei, please stop saying that!" Tenten hastily interjected.

Tsunade sat back in her chair and sighed. "Well, at least you fulfilled the mission. So, Tenten…" The Sannin's caramel-coloured eyes shrewdly looked up at her. "What did you think of the mission?" The question sounded like a test.

Tenten was ready with a general answer. "It was a worthwhile experience." Truthfully, Tenten still wasn't sure what to make of it. She was fairly certain most missions of this sort didn't go the way it had. Perhaps it would have been different if Guy hadn't been there, being overprotective.

The turn of events was still on Tenten's mind as her team left Tsunade's office and passed through the corridor. How did Guy know to come in at that exact moment? It wasn't difficult to figure out. He must have had Neji keeping watch over her movements. The thought of Neji relaying what was going on in the tent to Guy and Lee as it played out made her slightly colour from embarrassment.

She looked at him, walking beside her, his face as straight as it was during their mission report. "Neji," she began, "you knew the leader was a woman, didn't you?"

"Yes," he shortly replied.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Did it matter?" He kept answering without looking at her.

On Tenten's other side, Lee said, "Right, Neji. It does not matter whether it is a boy or girl – a first kiss is a first kiss."

Tenten made a face at his remark. "That's not what we're talking about." She did not even want to know how Lee knew she had never kissed someone before. Secretly however, she had to agree with his opinion. Boy or girl, whomever you kissed, that would the first time you experienced how a kiss felt. She had never given much thought to her first kiss, but she had a better idea of what the guy would be like – someone handsome, strong, and clever, who respected her shinobi skills, but whom she could also have a fun time with. For a second Tenten had the wild notion of giving her first kiss away soon, rather than risk losing it to a target during a mission.

She glanced sideways at Lee, thinking to herself that he likely wished he could kiss Sakura. The probability of that happening seemed nonexistent, in light of what Tenten knew. While Guy was suggesting another celebratory meal, Tenten suddenly sped ahead of her team, not heeding Lee and her sensei's calls.

- - -

The room was the same as before. At the far end were the windows which stretched wide and high, casting sunlight into the chamber. The side walls had shelves stacked with various books and scrolls for research and reference. A couple of manmade pools of water were set into the floor, and between them were two girls bent over a large table.

One of the girls turned, and the smile on her face was immediate. "Tenten, you're back from your mission!"

"Yep. How's the medical training going?" Tenten was dimly conscious of a mild bitterness she felt, which thankfully did not reflect in her voice.

"I'm looking after Ino right now." Sakura indistinctly gestured behind her with her shoulder. "How did your –"

"Ten-! Oh, Sakura!" Apparently Lee had followed Tenten through the village, and was now coming up to them with a gentlemanly smile.

It rather surprised Tenten that Lee had trailed her so far, but was somewhat bothered by the way his attention was redirected toward Sakura as soon as he walked in.

"Hi, Lee," Sakura amiably greeted. "I was just about to ask Tenten how your mission went."

"Oh, very well!" The grin on Lee's face broadened. "Tenten did not even have to give her first kiss to a girl!"

A look of astonishment began to appear on Sakura's face, but it was Ino's sudden outburst that stole their attention. She blurted out a shocked, "What!?" and whirled around, abandoning the butterfly she had been tending to.

"I didn't know she was a girl," Tenten jadedly replied, wishing Lee hadn't divulged that particular part of the mission. "Although, I guess I should have been able to tell from her name…"

"What was her name?" inquired Sakura.

"Tsuyuko."

Sakura and Ino stared at her, and then exchanged looks with one another. "Tenten," said Sakura, "that definitely sounds like a girl's name."

"Well yeah, but she looked like a guy too."

Ino raised a curious eyebrow. "She must have been pretty masculine."

"No, just… pretty." That last word came from Tenten's mouth on a pathetic note as she realized how swayed she was by looks alone. "It was her androgynous appearance!" The two girls continued to give her dubious stares. "Ahh, look, never mind that." Tenten distractedly waved a dismissive hand. "Ino, since you're here, can I ask you something?"

"Eh?" Ino never expected that Tenten would request something of her. These days it was always Sakura she was after. "Um, sure… what is it?"


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: "Naruto" is property of Masashi Kishimoto, Studio Pierrot, Viz Media, etc.

* * *

Shikamaru stretched his legs out over the verandah, waiting for his opponent to make the next move. Knowing his opponent, it was going to be a few minutes until she decided which shogi piece to move and to where. It was a bit bothersome. He was always up for a game of shogi, but this particular opponent had been showing up at his place for the past three days. He already knew what to expect from her. "Do you honestly think you'll win this time?" His tone was more bored than condescending.

Her eyes didn't move from the game board. "I don't have to win; I just need to be better at strategizing."

He looked up at the sky, which today was a clear blue free of clouds. "Can't you find some other way to do that?"

This time she did look up at him, frowning. It was quite apparent that Shikamaru wasn't afraid to express his opinions – although most of the time his opinions sounded more like complaints. "Sorry if I'm not much competition for you, but you don't have to make it sound like I'm a nuisance," she retorted.

"Well, you kind of are," he monotonously replied.

Her leg jerked, bumping against the shogi table. "How can you say that so frankly to a girl? If you keep up this attitude no one will want to date you."

For a moment, Shikamaru seemed surprised, and then thoughtful. "That's a bit of a problem, since I want to have a family."

Her eyebrows rose high underneath her forehead protector. "You do? That's a surprise."

"Huh… I just want to lead a relaxing life."

"What? If you wanted to relax why in the world did you choose to become a shinobi? There's nothing relaxing about that line of work."

"Yeah, that's become clearer to me lately. If I want to have a good life I can't just be idle about it."

That was true. Even if Shikamaru was lazy, she couldn't imagine him bumming around wasting his talent now that she'd seen what he was capable of. She wanted to live as a fulfilling shinobi as well. "Hey, give me your hand."

"Huh? Why?"

"I'll tell you your fortune," she brightly said. "Specifically, what your marriage will be like."

His expression turned from bemusement to dubiousness. "That's ridiculous."

"Come on, it'll be fun."

Shikamaru grumbled a bit at that, but he shifted around to face her and cooperatively held his hand out to her.

A sense of excitement rushed through her as he took his hand in her own. She was pragmatic enough to know that palm readings were not straight profiles of a person, but she got a thrill whenever she saw something that matched. For instance, she laughed a little when she noted Shikamaru's heart line ending at the base of his index finger – a sign he was picky about a partner. Under his index finger was also where his head line started, indicating he was highly intelligent.

She began to look for his marriage line, but instead found her gaze drawn to the lines of influence. There was a sizable star shape at the end of one, which acted as the starting point for a worry line. Her eyes began to trail the worry line, until it intersected with his life line. Her breath hitched, and she dropped his hand on the shogi table where it scattered the pieces in play.

He gave her a strange look. "What happened? I thought you were going to give me a palm reading."

She collected herself and uneasily smiled, trying to look well. "Um… you know, you're right – a palm reading wouldn't be able to tell you the future."

- - -

It had been a few days since Sakura last saw Tenten – not since she and Lee had showed up after their mission. She wasn't particularly concerned, but some part of her had been expecting Tenten to confront her with another challenge of some sort; and yet another part just wanted to see her. She said as much to Ino while they were browsing through the books in their usual practice room.

"Shouldn't you be relieved?" Ino responded as she shelved the book she had been skimming. "The only times she's approached you have been about challenges."

"Well, I don't really mind them," Sakura admitted. "They help me figure out where I stand, and… Tenten's nice."

The bridge of Ino's nose wrinkled. "And I'm not nice?"

"You could be better." Sakura teasingly smiled.

Ino returned it. "Speak for yourself." The enjoyment she got out of their friendly banter was somewhat dampened by a strain of guilt. She had a fair idea of where Tenten might be. The other day Tenten had asked in private where her genius teammate lived, and what he liked to do. Actually, Ino knew for a fact where she was – because when she asked him about it, he had conveyed how much of a bother it was.

Sakura studied the page she had opened to for a few more moments before saying, "Alright, I'm going to try making this one. I'll start by getting this ingredient." She left the book open on the table and pointed at one of the listed items long enough for Ino to glimpse.

When she saw what it was Sakura needed, Ino attempted to call after her, but Sakura was already well on her way to her destination.

- - -

Usually Shikamaru walked Tenten to the outer gate, but when his mother asked him to help her with the chores, Tenten kindly said she could show herself out.

"Gee, thanks," Shikamaru sarcastically said as he stood in the entrance to his house. This was just what he wanted – to get down to work right away.

Tenten hopped down the steps and mischievously smiled at him. "You're welcome. Thanks for letting me come over these past few days."

"It's not like I had a choice."

"Ahh, there you go again; but I guess you're right." This time her smile was honest. "Thanks for putting up with me."

She turned to leave when he called, "Hey," and she looked back at him over her shoulder. He offered her one of his wry grins. "Just to make it clear, I said you were _kind of_ a nuisance."

She smiled again and said, "Dually noted."

Tenten began to cross the Nara compound, and heard the door behind her shut with a soft thump. Aside from all the deer droppings outside, Tenten rather liked visiting the Nara household. It was amusing to see Shikamaru's mother's first reaction when she found her son had a female caller other than Ino at the door. She remarked it was good to see her son making progress 'in that area,' to which Shikamaru responded to with sighs, eye rolls, and the clarification that she was only a peer.

When they weren't playing shogi or watching the sky, Tenten made it a point to visit the Nara deer. The animals were quite gentle, and once when Shikaku had been home, he showed Tenten how to feed them. As she pulled open the door of the outside gate, she wondered if there were any around watching her.

Beyond the gate she heard a soft gasp and saw something pink jump. Her dark eyes locked on to a green pair. "Sakura?"

She was still reeling from surprise. "Tenten… You came to see the Naras?"

"Shikamaru, to be specific." Tenten stepped forward and pulled the door closed behind her. "We were just hanging out."

"Shikamaru? I didn't know you two were so close."

"Hm? Well actually… I'd say our relationship is the same as the one you and I have, minus the rivalry of course."

Her answer only served to perturb Sakura. She wasn't actually sure what the relationship she and Tenten shared could be defined as.

Tenten lifted a hand to wave her farewell. "Later, Saku-"

"When you were released from the hospital, why didn't you tell me?"

Tenten stared at her, taken aback. "Why didn't I tell you?"

"Yes," Sakura firmly replied. "I came to visit you, but I was told you weren't there anymore. You should have let me know, I was –" She cut herself off. It wasn't because she didn't want to say it – she didn't know what 'it' was.

"You were what?" Tenten was looking at her quite quizzically, expectantly, but Sakura still couldn't answer. She noticed how troubled Sakura seemed, and after a moment came forward to place a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. Okay?"

Sakura looked up at her, and at the sympathetic smile that touched her heart. "Yeah…" She was grateful. She was making an apology when she didn't even know why.

Tenten stood back and said, "Well, I have to go meet Lee now." Then her expression became thoughtful. "Maybe we can do something later. Oh, what should our next challenge be? It's not fair that I got to decide twice in a row."

"Er, a challenge?" Sakura scrambled her brainpower together in her attempt to quickly come up with something. She felt the warming effect of the sunlight on her arm, and she grew warmer the longer Tenten stood in front of her, waiting for a reply. "Um… how about holding our breath underwater?"

"Hm, sounds good. I'll meet you by the river outside the village in two hours; head straight there from the entrance to the village."

Sakura consented and Tenten left to meet Lee. It took a few seconds for Sakura to remember what she had come to the Naras for.

- - -

The most troublesome thing about Tenten's jutsu, in her personal opinion, was the inconvenience of having to pick up after herself. Of course, if she was training with another person, the additional pair of hands was certainly helpful. In the case with Lee, cleaning up was thrice as quick because he made a personal speed game out of it. So Tenten didn't mind that today was the third day she had to expend all her scrolls sealed with ninja tools.

She had taken Neji's advice into consideration, and proposed to Lee that they spend some time pitting him against her weapon barrage. He was all for it, as Tenten anticipated. Lee would probably be up for anything that was labeled 'training.'

Where Eight Trigrams Palm Rotation was Neji's saving grace against Tenten's attack, pure speed was Lee's. Once Tenten let the weapons soar, it was up to Lee to physically dodge them by weaving through the onslaught or avoiding it altogether. He only had the first option available whenever, with one scroll, she spun and spiked balls flew out in every direction. She was always alternating her attacks, to keep him on his toes, but he was learning to read her movements.

"I'm out." Breathless, Tenten dropped her empty scrolls and they fell to the ground at her feet.

Lee was covered in scratches, some of them bleeding, but was otherwise perfectly fine. "Your ninja tool assault never ceases to impress me, Tenten."

She looked back at him, and saw him grinning in a way that Neji never did after their sessions. Both her teammates recognized her ability, but Lee was always more vocal about it. Particularly during her chuunin exam match against Temari, Lee and Guy were whooping and hollering from the balcony above the arena. The guilt from before was bubbling, and she needed to do something to quell it.

"Lee, I'm sorry I'm not as supportive as I should be; especially when it comes to you and Neji." Her expression gradually became remorseful. "It was terrible of me to say to give up because you could never beat him. I know I wouldn't like it if someone told me I could never be like Lady Tsunade." She gazed at him, apologetic. "You've worked really hard to get where you are."

It was difficult to tell what Lee was feeling afterward, which was unusual. His face was almost blank, as though he were seeing Tenten for the first time. When he finally spoke, his voice was sincere. "Tenten, I have never once thought poorly of you." His smile was soft. "You are an admirable comrade."

Hearing Lee speak with gentle conviction was a strangely moving experience, compared to his usual animated cheers. It was a bit of a surprise, but one Tenten thought she rather liked. "Thanks." She returned his smile. "You're a good guy, Lee; and a great shinobi."

He regarded her for a moment. Then Lee took a slow, steadying breath, faint rose colouring his cheeks. "The path of a shinobi is a long one. I still have much to learn."

Tenten nodded, still holding her smile. "So do I; let's keep working on it, together."

- - -

_Shunk Shunk_

She was improving. More often than not, her throws were reaching the center of the target. The guidance Neji's teammate had given her helped more than she thought it would. Now Hanabi was becoming riskier, throwing one projectile after another in succession. It was harder than she had anticipated, having to twist her body in order to throw the second weapon – but she remembered what Tenten had said, and changed her approach to throwing them as one smooth motion. That worked better.

As Hanabi practiced, Neji passed by, on his way to meet Hiashi for sparring. He had seen her working at for the past few days, but today he paused to watch for a while. Her form was quite good, better than his own during in his academy days.

It had quickly became clear to his classmates that Neji was talented, the de facto genius of their year. Written or applied, he could complete whatever was thrown his way, and complete it with finesse. Anything below average was not acceptable to young Neji, for his own, vengeful reasons. It was therefore, in his eyes, a dreadful problem when he discovered a weakness in target practice. His ninja tools would not land where he wanted them to, no matter how much he concentrated. This was unacceptable for someone who was usually a quick study.

"Do you want some help?" a light voice said to him during target practice.

He shifted his eyes to the person standing beside him. It was a girl – the one who was the class example for this aspect of the shinobi arts. She wore a blue shirt with purple accents, and her hair was up in an odango style. He flatly told her, "No." No one had ever offered him help before. Declining was an automatic, defensive answer.

She shrugged, and took the place beside him to practice.

Neji returned to his own training, but was discouraged after a few off-center attempts. The wooden dummy neighbouring his had a few kunai jutting out from the bull's-eye, and then a shuriken zoomed in to join them. Involuntarily, his gaze moved from the dummy to the assailant.

A satisfied smirk played about her lips, and she picked up another shuriken. She released it with a graceful swing of her arm, and the shuriken embedded itself underneath the growing collection of metal. The next time she threw, he examined her posture, her form.

He resumed practicing, and four kunai later, he hit the mark.

When target practice was over, the students began retrieving the weapons stuck in the dummies and lying discarded on the ground. As Neji yanked out a particularly stubborn kunai, he heard the girl next to him say, "Did it help?"

He glanced at her. "What did?"

She pleasantly smiled and said, "Watching me throw ninja tools."

He was brought out of his reverie by the sound of his cousin's voice. "Neji. Neji!" He looked down and saw Hanabi observing him with a peculiar expression. "You'll be late for your meeting with my father."

"Ah, right," he absentmindedly responded, and turned to continue on his way.

- - -

Sakura was sitting on her towel by the river with her bare feet dipped in the cool water. After leaving the Naras she managed to collect the remaining ingredients for the medicine she wanted to make. However, she found it difficult to concentrate making it when her challenge with Tenten was scheduled in a couple of hours. She wondered what had possessed herself to think of this test anyway.

A light blue towel landed next to her. "Hey, have you been waiting long?" Tenten stood beaming at her.

"No," replied Sakura, although she was not really aware of how long she had been sitting there.

"Good, I thought I might be late." Tenten reached for her left arm and began unwinding the bandage wrapped about.

Sakura's developed clinical instinct kicked in. "Should you be swimming if your arm is hurt?"

"I'm not hurt. This is just for protection." She set the bandage aside and began unbuttoning her shirt. "Although, I suppose wearing something like gloves would be more convenient… preferably fingerless so I can still feel my ninja tools."

Sakura nodded and started to unzip her dress. In addition to medical ninjutsu, Tsunade had been training her to be nimble and strong – nimble, to avoid being hurt in the field, and strong, for when she needed to put up a fight. Much of her strength training involved handling and smashing boulders, which wasn't easy on her hands. Perhaps she should consider getting a pair of gloves herself.

Underneath her red dress Sakura was wearing a pink two-piece swimsuit. She looked up and saw Tenten wearing the same, but dark green in colour. She also grudgingly noted the way Tenten's body filled the suit out more than her own did.

"Okay, ready to do this?" Tenten waved a timer in her hand and slid into the water, Sakura following suit. "On the count of three we duck in." Tenten placed the timer on the bank and counted up. On three, they each sucked in a breath, and sunk.

The water swallowed them, encasing their bodies in a liquid cage that molded to their forms. Sakura opened her eyes and through the water saw Tenten staring back, her bangs swaying to the ebb and flow of the river. She could hear the movement of the water, feel its suffocating pressure. The breath of air Sakura had inhaled began to strain against her lungs, then her throat, her mouth, her nose. A prickle of pain followed, and she could no longer hold it. She kicked herself up and broke through the surface, spattering water around her and gasping for air.

A quick glance around showed her that Tenten had not come up after her. Sakura spotted her submerged figure, bent and warped by the rippling water. She waded over to shore and picked up the timer. Only a minute had passed. She hauled herself out of the water and turned to sit at the edge of the river, her eyes moving from the timer, to Tenten, and back. Two minutes. She had passed the average.

As Sakura continued to keep watch, a sort of anxiety started to creep over her. If Tenten wasn't careful, she could end up passing out underwater. Then again, she thought, Tenten was a member of Team Guy. Maybe this was normal for her. Three minutes. Sakura was physically worried now, her fingers incessantly tapping against the ground. She didn't even bother looking at the timer gripped in her hand. Her eyes were on Tenten, her still body hanging in the water. Then Sakura saw it – a stream of bubbles issued from Tenten's mouth, and she doubled-over, but didn't get up. Panicked, Sakura chucked the timer aside and dove into the river, reaching for Tenten. She grabbed her upper arm and dragged her above water, their breaths coming out as a dissonant splutters.

When they reached the shore, Sakura quickly shot a disapproving look in Tenten's direction. "Are you crazy? You could have been in trouble back there!"

Tenten looked back at her with a blithe expression as she climbed out of the water. "Then it's a good thing you're studying to become a medic-nin."

Sakura frowned. "Tenten, be serious!"

They were sitting together on the shoreline now, dripping wet, the towels catching the droplets that fell from their hair. Tenten considered Sakura with a curious gaze. Seeing the younger girl cross with her was somehow amusing. She suddenly recalled her recent mission, how Tsuyuko had been unaffected by her words. Was there a way to practice? Impulsively, Tenten lowered her eyelids and sweetly smiled. "My apologies. It is an honor to know I mean so much to you."

Sakura's lips parted, but she was at a loss for words. Interestingly however, a slight flush was blooming in her complexion. "It's not – I mean –"

"What do we have here? Splashing about in the water instead of training?"

The girls looked up and saw a kunoichi older than either of them standing on the branch of one of the trees lining the riverside. Her golden hair was parted in four and a giant fan was strapped to her back.

Tenten immediately got to her feet. "We _are_ training."

Even from across the river, the smirk on Temari's face was evident. "You could have fooled me," she taunted.

The expression on Tenten's face hardened. "Why are you even here?"

"Oh, I'm doing some work to help build relations between Suna and Konoha. So if you were planning on challenging me to a rematch, you'll have to wait. Later!" A quick tap shortly after signaled her departure, and she was gone from their sight.

From the corner of her eye, Sakura saw Tenten's hands tighten into fists at her sides. She remembered learning from Lee that Tenten wanted to have another battle against Temari. Sakura hadn't seen most of their chuunin fight, as she'd been sitting with Ino against the wall, mulling over her own match. Judging from the older girls' conversation however, it must not have gone well for Tenten. "Lee said it was between Temari and me," she heard herself say. "Why did you choose me?"

Tenten whirled on her. "What?" Her indignation from meeting Temari did not subside. Rather, Sakura's question seemed to prod at the coals of her ire. "Do I really need to say it? Don't you have any confidence in yourself?"

Sakura stared at her, astonished. She moved her gaze to the river, where her reflection rippled on the water's surface. Quietly, she said, "I thought I had become better… I thought I could at last surpass Ino… but we tied during the chuunin exam." She took a breath and gazed across the river. "There's a lot for me to do if I want to be able to work alongside Naruto."

A sudden splash of water surged up from the river, and Sakura lifted an arm to shield her face. When she looked again, she saw Tenten floating on her back in the water.

"As long as you know where you're going, that's fine by me." Tenten righted herself in the water and glanced at the other girl. "I want to fight a strong Sakura."


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Happy Birthday, Tenten!

Disclaimer: "Naruto" is property of Masashi Kishimoto, Studio Pierrot, Viz Media, etc.

* * *

She was too early. They weren't supposed to meet for another half-hour. Tenten tapped her foot against the fallen tree trunk she sat on, casting her gaze over the familiar training grounds. This was the same place where Guy had tried to teach them Primary Lotus – and where only Lee succeeded.

Tenten got up and examined the log she had been occupying. After deciding it was acceptable, she stood it upright, fell back, and ran towards the log.

The same exhaustion she had earned the other times she had tried this returned to greet her in double. She was on her back, staring up at the sky where a few birds swooped across its pale blue expanse. Tenten still couldn't do it, but this rest after trying so hard felt strangely cathartic.

"Already hard at work, I see."

Tenten twitched when she recognized the voice, and she quickly sat up to make herself seem more composed. "Sensei, you're finally here."

Guy wore that usual grin he had when he met one of his students. As he approached Tenten, his gaze cast over the training grounds. There were several impact marks in the terrain, and when Guy saw the log lying beside Tenten, he put the puzzle together. "Tenten… were you trying to do Primary Lotus?" He was speaking in a tone which she had overheard him using with Neji before the chuunin exam. "You shouldn't practice that technique without supervision. You know of the strain it puts on the body."

"Yeah… sorry about that," Tenten modestly replied.

"I didn't even know you still wanted to learn it. In the end, Lee was the only one able to master it after all."

The reference to her teammate and his achievement sparked something in Tenten, and she replied, "Sensei, I know you have some kind of deep emotional bond or whatever with Lee, but Neji and I are your students too."

Guy took this by surprise. Even he knew that Neji and Tenten found the personality quirks he shared with Lee to be a bother, but was unaware that it may have had the capacity to make his other students jealous. On the verge of choking up, Guy said, "I didn't know you felt this way." Then a sudden realization made him follow-up with, "Is that why you were trying Primary Lotus?"

Tenten formed an expression that suggested she had just caught a whiff of something unpleasant. "No, I –"

"Tenten, I don't expect you to be like Lee, accident aside. In fact, I applaud your individuality. Lee admires me like you admire Lady Tsunade; but whereas he emulates me, you choose weaponry as a means to become a great kunoichi. I think that's a wonderful thing."

Tenten's eyes were wide with astonishment. As far as she could recall, this was the first time she and her sensei had an exchange where it was just the two of them; and it was the first time his sentiment meant so much to her. She smiled. "Thanks, Guy-sensei."

Guy was positively beaming. "I believe our bond is much closer now!" He spread his arms out wide. "Come, Tenten! Let all your feelings out!"

"N-No, I don't – EEAGUH!"

Her sensei ensnared her in a bear-hug. "See, Tenten?" he cried. "There's nothing to worry about!"

There was plenty to worry about as far as Tenten was concerned. It felt like needles had sprung up all over her body. Even worse was…

"N-Neji! Lee!" The rest of the team had shown up.

Guy mercifully released Tenten and spun around. "Ah! Lee, Neji! Good! Now we can reaffirm our feelings for one another through a group hug!"

"Guy-sensei, I don't need a group hug!" Tenten hastily protested.

"Oh, alright then." Guy pointed a finger straight into the air. "Individually!" Guy brought the finger down to point at his protégé. "Lee!"

The boy straightened up and answered, "Right!"

Tenten had a dismayed look about her when the green-clad boy suddenly raced forward. He really was fast. Lee collapsed to his knees and boldly encircled his arms around an alarmed Tenten, who stiffened in response.

"Tenten, you are a very important part of the team!" Lee nearly shouted.

This team demonstration of esteem seemed excessive, but… the feelings were so honest that Tenten couldn't help but appreciate them. She put a hand on Lee's shoulder and thanked him.

When Lee pulled away afterward and stood back, Tenten found Neji standing next to her. He offered her a hand. She took it, and he pulled her to her feet. "What happened to your arm?" he asked after letting go of her hand.

"Oh, Lee did that. He didn't hurt me, just bandaged a few scratches I got during training."

Neji nodded, and then looked to Guy and Lee. "Are we going to begin training now?"

Sensei and student mirrored one another, cupping their hands around their mouths and mouthing, "Hug her~!"

Tenten caught the gesture and said, "Come on, you two. He doesn't have to –" She was stunned into silence when Neji pulled her close, then released her a second later.

He stood a measured distance from her and set his silver gaze to the side. Tenten only stared at him, still shocked at what just happened. She had never as much seen Neji give someone a handshake, let alone a hug. Only when Guy announced that they commence their training did either of them move.

- - -

"Ino, did you know Tenten's been going to Shikamaru's?"

Ino didn't turn to look at her. It would have been difficult anyway. She was carrying several bouquets of flowers for delivery, and she was afraid unnecessary movement would cause her to drop one. Sakura was helping her by carrying the flower baskets.

"Yes, he told me," Ino replied somewhat stiffly.

Sakura looked disconcerted, a fact Ino could tell by the sound of her voice. "Why didn't you tell me when I asked?"

There were other people walking the street they were on, but Ino stopped in the middle of it all and gazed at her over the flowers. "Sakura, don't you think there's something weird about her?"

Of all thing things Sakura might have imagined Ino replying with, this wasn't one of them. "Weird?" she echoed. "What do you mean?"

Ino looked at her with something like a mix of concern and exasperation. "Just… be careful."

- - -

After an eventful morning of training with her team, Tenten returned home to refresh. She had time to think about a lot of things, not the least of which was what Guy had told her before practice. If she really wanted to be an expert with weaponry, then it was time for an expansion of her arsenal.

There were several books and scrolls she had selected open before her, but then Tenten was no longer looking at them. Her mind had wandered, and she gazed out the window with her head resting on her left hand. She sat back and peered down at her bandaged arm. The scrapes on her fingers were long healed by now, but everyday she continued to replace the wrapping. It was like a symbol of her resolve to work hard. Her eyes shifted to her other hand, and she turned it over to look at her palm.

Ever since she was little she had been captivated with fortune-telling. It started with her fascination for the twelve animals of the zodiac, and from there she began reading books on astrology and other methods of fortune-telling. This changed when she met Neji – specifically after they had become teammates.

It happened the first time Lee challenged him to spar. Neji had beaten him almost effortlessly, knocking Lee to the ground several times. As Lee was getting up to try again, Neji told him, "Your taijutsu has always been below average. You're not destined to be anything but that."

Tenten looked at Lee then; crouched on the ground, smeared in dirt, his expression injured. If fate dictated that was how Lee's life was to be, then she thought fate to be awfully unfair. Fortune-telling began to depress her.

As time went on, Lee's skills drastically improved. He was faster, more efficient, and he had fewer problems during missions. Tenten began to think that maybe Neji was wrong about Lee… but still, when Lee fought him, he never won. Neji was still a genius after all, and she got used to it.

Yet for all the time Tenten believed in Neji's aptitude, she was glad that Naruto had beaten him during the chuunin exams. Neji's attitude toward destiny changed, and Tenten found she was able to enjoy fortune-telling again because of it.

Of course, not all fortunes were good ones. She remembered reading Shikamaru's palm, and seeing what the lines indicated about his future. She thought it best not to tell him. Regardless of how impractical fortune-telling seemed, telling a person someone close to them would die was a distasteful thing to do.

Morbidly, Tenten wondered who it could be. A shinobi seemed the most likely. Untimely deaths were an expected, although not always perceived, part of shinobi life. She shook her head, not wanting to dwell on the subject.

Hopefully, Tenten thought, the fortune would be wrong.

- - -

The library was so deserted, that it may have unsettled Sakura if she didn't know the librarian was at the front desk. After helping Ino out with her deliveries, she went to the library to follow-up on some of her readings. Books, paper, and writing instrument in hand, she left the aisles of tomes to find a place to work.

She emerged to a windowed part of the library, the tables and chairs placed along the wall casting shadows across the floor. There was only one person occupying the area, sitting at the table closest to where Sakura stood. Actually, the person wasn't so much sitting, as reclining back in her chair.

The clothes she was wearing, Sakura noticed, weren't her usual attire. Her shirt was long and dark blue, and her pants were burgundy in colour. Everything else though, remained the same.

Sakura moved closer, and found that the girl was asleep. It was strange, finding this bright girl she only saw when awake, now resting like the rest of the world didn't exist. The sunlight coming through the window made her features appear more vivid. Long lashes, soft hair, clear skin… and with her head tilted back, Sakura could see a pulse beating on her neck.

She moved to the opposite side of the table and set her books down. Then she sat, reached for the top book, and flipped it open. She glanced up at the other girl before looking at the pages.

- - -

A horrible stiffness greeted Tenten as she ebbed back into consciousness. 'Gah… resting my eyes was a bad idea.' Slowly, achingly, she straightened up in her seat and groaned.

"Hi."

Stunned by the presence of another person, and the familiar voice, Tenten blinked and briefly rubbed her eyes with the base of her hand. "Sakura?" She saw the pink-haired girl come into focus, sitting across from her with study materials on the table. Tenten turned her head to look around the library, but immediately stopped and winced when she felt a sharp pain at the base of her neck.

When she put a hand to it, Sakura rose from her seat and said, "Here, let me." She came to Tenten's side and placed her medically trained hands between her neck and her shoulders.

"Mm, thanks." Tenten gave the library another glance. There didn't seem to be anyone else around. She couldn't settle on whether or not it was strange for Sakura to sit with her when there were so many free tables and chairs. "Hey, Sakura… have you ever kissed someone before?"

Sakura's hands froze, and then were off Tenten as if she had burnt them. "W-What? No!"

Tenten twisted around in her seat and gazed back at her. "You don't have to be embarrassed about it."

Sakura bit the inside of her lip, looking hesitant. "… I've always thought… I want my first kiss to be Sasuke."

"… Hm…" Tenten could see where this was going. She did not wish to have another angst-ridden Sakura on her hands, or to talk about Sasuke for that matter, so she nonchalantly replied, "Ah, I see… From what I've heard though, _you_ wouldn't be _his_ first."

A bright flush came over Sakura's face, as much from indignity as aggravation. She knew Sasuke was well-known in the village, but she didn't think that particular incident would have spread outside their classroom. "That was an accident, and it was with Naruto, so it doesn't count!"

Tenten gave her a curious look. "So, if you accidentally kissed Ino, it wouldn't count?"

"Huh!?" Sakura became even more flustered. "Why Ino??"

Tenten shrugged. "The friends yet rivals dynamic: Sasuke and Naruto, you and Ino."

Sakura stood there for a moment, staring at Tenten and taking in the logic of her reasoning. She circled back to her seat, grabbed a pencil, and stared down at her notebook as though preparing to jot something down. In a quiet voice, she said, "It wouldn't happen."

During this time, Tenten noted, Sakura's face was taking on strange hues of red. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable."

Sakura looked up at her, her cheeks having decided on a shade of pink deeper than the colour of her hair. "Would you count it… if you accidentally kissed me?"

The answer to her question came easier to Tenten than either of them expected. "I would think so."

- - -

"Is Tenten here?"

The question prompted Shikamaru to raise an eyebrow. He thought Ino would simply leave like she always did after dropping something off at his place, but here she stayed asking a peculiar question. "No, she didn't come at all."

"Oh, I see…" She paused for a moment, then asked, "Does Tenten seem okay to you?"

Shikamaru leant against the doorframe. "What do you mean?"

"Well, she's been hanging around Sakura so much lately and I've been thinking it's weird. I mean, it's not like they really know each other and Sakura told me they only started spending time together when Tenten randomly decided to make her a rival, and – what's so funny!?" Ino glared at Shikamaru when she saw him snicker.

He didn't try to hide it. "It's rare to see you like this," he answered.

"Like what?"

"Never mind." Shikamaru turned to lean on his back. "I don't see what you're worried about. Tenten's a good girl."

Ino's face went blank before changing into scribbled frustration. "Aaugh! You too!?"

"Huh?"

She pointed a finger at him. "Look, you better watch out as well. First it was Sakura, and now you."

Shikamaru sighed, his head wilting to one side. "Do you know how ridiculous you sound?"

"I do not sound ridiculous!"

"It's not like I know anything about this," he said as he wearily rubbed the back of his neck, "but it seems like jealously is causing you to be paranoid."

Her mouth was open, and blue eyes shone like ice. "I am _not_ jealous. If you even _think_ that I think of you that way, then –"

"I mean in regards to Sakura."

This time it was harder for Ino to recover. If Shikamaru was seriously thinking that…

"She's your closest friend, isn't she? You guys had that falling out, so maybe you want your friendship with her to be the one she has with Tenten."

Ino stared at him for the longest while, and then turned on her heel grumbling, "I don't even know why I bothered coming here."

Shikamaru didn't bother to tell her.

- - -

It was definitely strange. Usually when Guy and Lee attempted to persuade Neji and Tenten to join them in one of their unnecessary antics, that latter half of the team was always reluctant. This time however, Neji had found the encouragement bizarrely easy to comply with.

At first he was narrowing his eyes at the pair, but then he looked at Tenten and his body acted on its own. He could still remember the surprise he felt at how slight her frame was in his arms, and the warmth and smell of her. Neji had never considered these characteristics of a person before, and now they seemed so real and relevant – and the ones he experienced were specific to Tenten.

He still was not sure why he had done it. The only people he had ever hugged in his life were his parents, and that was when he had been very young. Since then, the only physical contact he had against other people was when he was fighting them – there was nothing affectionate about his actions.

Things were different now. Maybe it was because of Naruto… Maybe it was because of Lee… Or maybe… it was because it was Tenten.

One thing was certain: it was becoming more difficult to meditate these days.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Final chapter! Thanks to everyone who's taken the time to leave a review.

Disclaimer: "Naruto" is property of Masashi Kishimoto, Studio Pierrot, Viz Media, etc.

* * *

Sakura had been awake for half an hour, but she remained lying in bed, gazing up at the ceiling with unfocused eyes. No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn't think of a logical reason as to why she asked Tenten that question in the library. Then there was Tenten's answer…

_I would think so._

The warmth that had risen to Sakura's face returned, and she irritably draped an arm across her forehead.

Her mother began calling her down for breakfast, so Sakura finally, and somewhat grudgingly, slogged out of bed. She went to the window to open the shutters, squinting as the morning sunlight poured in. There wasn't much of a view as her window faced the interior of an alleyway. She glanced down to see if anything was out if the ordinary, and there was – a kunai was planted into the space below her window. Tied around the handle was a fold of paper. Carefully, Sakura reached to free the kunai, pulled off the paper, unfolded it, and read what was written inside.

She fell back onto her bed with a sigh, the note grasped firmly in her fingers.

_Fwup!_ Tenten caught the kunai and then flipped it a couple of times. The projectile was tied to one end of a piece of string while the other was tied around Tenten's middle finger. She was killing time by pitching the kunai into a stump and pulling it back by the string to catch. She had repeated this so many times that bits of bark had fallen from the stump.

'Too bad it wasn't like this with Temari,' Tenten reflected. In retrospect, she should have known that her usual weapons assault wouldn't work against the sand ninja's wind jutsu. The force of her opponent's gust was so severe; Tenten's ninja tools might as well have been flower petals.

She started going to the library again to do research, hopeful that she'd be able to find something impressive to add to her arsenal… Then she found Sakura sitting across from her, and Tenten asked her an innocent question. Then there was another question, perhaps not as innocent, and then Sakura posed one of her own. Without giving it much thought, the reply flew from Tenten's lips, and she saw Sakura's eyes widen a fraction before she looked down at her notebook, not saying anything.

This was followed by a stretch of silence, which Sakura used to continue reading and jotting down notes. In Tenten's opinion however, she wasn't going about it very well. Sakura was going through the pages too quickly, and half the time she hedged when she turned to her notebook to write something down. It was nothing like the meticulous way Sakura scanned the books at the hospital.

Tenten decided to bring up their competition again, and when she abruptly did so, Sakura started. Putting it aside, Tenten asked her to again choose what they should do. Sakura quietly thought on it for a moment, and then suggested they test their physical strength. She wasn't sure what particular activity they could do to test this however, so she told Tenten to meet her at the training grounds the next day.

Sakura had set the meeting, but Tenten felt she should still remind her with a little message. 'I wonder if she'll bring the kunai with her…'

"Odango!"

"Ahh!" Startled, Tenten jumped, and consequently got in the way of the kunai's path so it grazed across her cheek.

A hand snaked down from behind her to grip her chin. "Hey, you should be more careful. Look, you're bleeding."

Tenten was about to make a retort when a head dipped down, and she felt the brush of a tongue against her skin where blood trickled. She broke away and crossly rubbed at the place where she had been licked. "I wouldn't be if you hadn't jumped me."

An amused grin crossed the other person's face. "If it's any consolation, your blood tastes sweeter than that Naruto kid's."

"Hardly," Tenten dispassionately replied. "And what's with the 'odango'?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Anko placed her hands above her head and chose to make groping movements to indicate Tenten's hair buns.

"Okay, I get it… Stop that!"

She did, and with a self-satisfied grin.

Tenten wearily wondered if all her encounters with the special jonin were to be this taxing. "Why are you here, Anko-sensei?"

"I was on my way back from a solo mission," she answered, as if it wasn't important.

"Shouldn't you be reporting to Lady Tsunade, then?"

At that, Anko's eyes narrowed in suspicion, but her smirk remained. "Huh, trying to get rid of me, are you?" The smirk lengthened as she leaned forward and she spoke in a half-whisper. "Am I intruding on some secret tryst you had planned?"

Tenten deflected the rib easily enough. "I know you're trying to imply something, but that's not what it is."

"What's not what it is?"

Deciding that ignoring Anko was the best approach for handling her, Tenten reached into her back satchel for some medicine. Hinata had given it to her on one occasion when she told the Hyuga heiress about her training with Neji. This was a while ago, but Tenten figured the medicine would still work well enough.

When she pulled it out, Anko stepped closer to her and said, "Just a minute – I'll help clean you up." Again she caught at Tenten's chin, and placed a hand on her shoulder to steady the younger kunoichi.

"Hey, what are you doing?" As though she wasn't alarmed enough by Anko's proximity, Tenten started struggling when Anko moved in for the kill. "Stop! Get your mouth away from me!"

"… Tenten?"

Anko shifted to one side as she turned, and Tenten looked around her. Standing there was Sakura, looking quite pale and shocked.

"Oops, we've been spotted," said Anko. She tilted her head to one side and smiled. "Are you the one Odango's having a tryst with?"

"Uh… huh?" Sakura's voice was remote. She continued to stare at Anko and Tenten, thinking that she was seeing something she ought not to.

"Sakura, finally you're here!" Tenten pushed away the hand on her shoulder and went to Sakura's side. She turned and pointedly gave Anko a disapproving look.

The special jonin put her hands up, palms facing forward. "Ah, alright, I can take a hint." She mischievously eyed the girls and said, "I hope you two enjoy yourselves." Then she spun on her heel and took off to report back to the Hokage.

Sakura wanted to question Tenten about what just happened, but she wasn't sure how to begin. Then she saw the bleeding on Tenten's cheek and the question fell to the wayside in favour of another. "What happened to your face?"

"Oh, don't worry about it." Tenten passed a finger across the trail of blood and readied to apply the medicine – only there was nothing in her hand. 'What…?' She scanned the ground, looking for it, but the container was no where to be found. Then something in her mind clicked. 'Wait, don't tell me… geez, that jonin is trouble!'

"Sit, I'll heal it for you," said Sakura. Tenten only wordlessly stared at her, so Sakura persisted. "It might scar. Let me heal it."

Tenten regarded her for a few more seconds, and then she sat on the ground and Sakura followed. She placed a hand against Tenten's face and told her to relax. Tenten did her best to do so, but her skin wouldn't stop tingling where Sakura touched her. Only when Sakura's hand began to glow green and warm with chakra did Tenten manage to settle down.

Sitting so close to Sakura, there was hardly anywhere else for Tenten to look but at her. She could begin to see, on some level, why Lee liked Sakura. The younger girl was cute enough, she supposed… fair skin, a round face, and striking green eyes which no one else in the village had; except her parents, Tenten guessed. She wondered if her parents also shared her remarkable hair colour, which though pink still looked quite natural and soft.

Sakura was startled when Tenten suddenly reached up took a lock of her hair in her fingers. Her concentration broke and her hand stopped releasing chakra. "What are you doing?" she managed to somewhat evenly ask.

"Your hair is an unusual colour," Tenten stated in a factual, yet gentle tone. "I wanted to know if it felt unusual." She looked at the strands lying against her fingers; fine lines of pink like candy floss that could melt if she held them for too long.

Sakura stayed perfectly still. The hand that had been against Tenten's face was now on the ground, steadying her. She pursed her lips to moisten them and swallowed. Her voice came out as a quivering whisper. "… Does it?"

Tenten met Sakura's eyes; those curious green eyes which now seemed uncertain yet open like a child's. Coupled with the rosy hue of Sakura's cheeks, her appearance was almost endearing…

A scream caused both of them to jump apart. They twisted around to see Ino and Lee standing side-by-side. From the pitch of the scream the girls first thought it had come from Ino, but judging by the way the blonde was looking at Lee and the trembling features on his face, it was clear who the source was.

"T-Tenten!" he spluttered. "How could you!"

"Eh? How could I what?"

He theatrically waved his arms and exclaimed, "How could you steal a kiss from Sakura!"

Tenten gaped at him. "I stole no such thing!"

Lee blinked at her, and then slowly, tentatively replied, "Then… she gave it to you?"

Tenten bolted up and stamped a foot to emphasize her point. "_We did not kiss!_"

Ino glanced at Sakura, who was still sitting on the ground. She watched as with a distant look, Sakura listlessly brought the back of her fingers to her lips. Even though Ino doubted the kiss, seeing Sakura make such a gesture perturbed her. "Sakura," she said, "have you forgotten about Sasuke so easily?"

Sakura looked up at her, as though Ino has suddenly shoved her for no reason.

It was Tenten however who spoke to her. "Hey, Ino, you like Sasuke too, don't you?" Her tone was rather somber, and would have sounded overblown to an outsider who didn't know the situation surrounding Sasuke. "You should be wary about liking him."

Ino's lips thinned and her voice became defiant. "I don't see how it's any business of your's who I like."

"I'm only saying it because of what might happen."

The blue in Ino's eyes flashed. "What might happen? Look, you – !"

"Stop it! Stop arguing!" Sakura was suddenly on her feet and between the two girls. She would never have been able to stop a fight between Naruto and Sasuke, but at least, she didn't want to see their strife reflected in Ino and Tenten.

"Sakura…" Tenten moved toward her, but Ino immediately grabbed Sakura's arm and pulled her toward herself.

She fixed Tenten with an adamant gaze. "Sorry, but I want to talk with Sakura for a bit."

Tenten paused for a moment, and then replied, "Sure." To Sakura, she said with a half-smile, "It looks like we have to postpone another challenge."

"Ten-" Sakura nearly reached out to her, but Ino held her fast. She turned her head to look at her, and was astonished by the indomitable blue eyes that met her. When she looked back, Tenten had already put a fair amount of distance between them, and was taking Lee with her by the sleeve of his green body suit.

As soon as they were out of earshot, Sakura wrenched out of Ino's hold and spun around to face her. "Ino, what's going on?"

For a second, Ino was silent, her expression now less tense than when Tenten had been there. Then, she took hold of Sakura's wrist and pressed something into her hand. When Sakura looked to see what she had given her, she found a red ribbon lying across her palm – a nostalgically familiar red ribbon.

Feeling rather insulted by this gesture, she looked up at the girl in front of her. "Ino, I told you – "

"And I told you it was a gift," Ino interjected in a firm, obstinate tone. "You wore that when we were friends, and now we're friends again, so I'm telling you to keep it – understand?"

Sakura was taken aback by Ino's sudden pronouncement. When Sakura returned the ribbon months ago, it was a symbol of her resolve to be independent of Ino; to not walk behind her, but ahead of her. She would have given it back again… but instead of the exasperated and derisive attitude Ino had months ago, she was gazing at Sakura with a quiet, unyielding, and to some extent pleading expression. Sakura closed her fingers around the ribbon and nodded.

"Oh, so that's what happened." More so than sounding relieved that Tenten hadn't stolen a kiss from his crush, Lee seemed rather interested in the fact that the girls had merely met for another challenge. Of course, Tenten edited some of the details of what had happened at the training grounds. She couldn't be certain that Lee wouldn't have the same reaction as she imagined Guy would if she was overt in her explanation.

"It just looked like something else was going on from where you were standing. Honestly, me kissing Sakura…"

Lee leaned forward so abruptly and looked at Tenten that she nearly jumped. "What is wrong with kissing Sakura?" he demanded.

Tenten blinked, bemused by Lee's sudden change of opinion. A moment ago he had been horrified when he thought Tenten, his _female_ teammate, had kissed his crush. Now he was offended by the inference that Tenten would never want to. "Eh? Nothing I guess, but come on, we're both girls and her personality is –" Tenten broke off. If she said what she really thought of Sakura, she had a feeling Lee would act up even more than he already was.

Unfortunately for Tenten, Lee had already picked up on it. "Tenten… can it be that you do not like Sakura?"

Tenten stared at him, surprised by the question and unsure of what to say. "It's not a matter of whether I like her or not…"

"Then…?"

She exhaled and said, "Lee, it's fine if you like Sakura, but don't be so rash when it comes to her." She paused, and then added, "You could have been in serious danger in the Forest of Death."

"But… Sakura is a precious person. I had to protect her."

It seemed futile to continue this discussion any longer with Lee. Their last few words were reminiscent of an exchange they had in the Forest of Death, and even then Tenten hadn't said anymore to him on the matter. She didn't even know what conclusion the current conversation was leading toward.

She gave him a weary look before glancing over her shoulder. "I wonder how those two are doing," she mused.

Lee gathered himself and grinned, not paying the change in topic any mind. "They seem like good friends."

"You think so?" Tenten incuriously replied.

He nodded, and his smile faded a bit. "… I never had any friends in the academy."

Tenten felt her muscles spasm. "Don't say stuff like that," she reprimanded. "You're on Team Guy now. I know we've had problems getting along, but I think we've come a long way since we first became teammates."

Lee looked at her with some surprise. Then he gently smiled and agreed, "Yes, I think so as well."

They were well out from the training grounds now and passing by a reservoir of water that went through the village. A bridge connected each side of the source of water, and Lee remembered this as the place where Sakura had first come to give him flowers and cheer him up. Standing on the bridge presently was not Sakura, but someone else the two genin knew quite well.

"Ah, there's our fellow teammate now," Tenten remarked. "Neji!" She swept her arm up in a notable wave.

His pale eyes flickered over his teammates, and he waited for them to join him on the bridge. "What have the two of you been doing?" he conversationally inquired.

"Hmm, nothing much," replied Tenten. "What are you doing here by yourself?"

"Thinking," he shortly said.

"Hmm…" Well, thinking, or meditating rather, was normal for Neji. Tenten clapped her hands together. "Hey, do you guys want to have ramen together for lunch?"

Lee beamed at the suggestion. "I would not mind at all! I think we should make up for the bowls Naruto is missing out on."

Tenten giggled and then turned to Neji. "What do you say, Neji?"

He thought for a moment, and then said, "I think we would have to eat at least twice a week to eat the amount Naruto does."

Lee laughed, but Tenten was somewhat surprised by his response. Was he joking, or was he merely stating a fact? The former seemed unlikely, but…

As they made their way to Ichiraku Ramen, Tenten glanced at Neji and couldn't help asking, "So, what were thinking about on the bridge?"

Neji gave a sidelong look toward Tenten and Lee. The other boy was wearing a cheery smile as he walked alongside Tenten's right, probably enjoying the company and the thought of what they had planned ahead. Tenten was walking between them, still looking at Neji, waiting for him to respond.

He noticed that she was about five centimeters shorter than himself and Lee. He knew of course that they were taller than her, but he never knew by how much until now, as they walked side-by-side. As he thought this, he caught her scent on a passing breeze, and he was amazed to recognize it as Tenten's.

The wind drew Tenten's attention to the way it mussed with Lee's hair, but miraculously his trim fell back into place on its own. She commented on it, privately thinking how unfair it was since his cut was so unfashionable. When Lee suggested she get the same hairstyle, it resulted in a lecture about girls and their appearance.

Neji watched his teammates, thinking about what they meant to him, and the plans they had ahead. While Tenten was speaking with Lee, she didn't notice when her hand briefly brushed against Neji's. He felt it though, and the corner of his mouth tugged into a smirk. 'I think… everything is just fine.'

The ribbon swayed with Sakura's arm as she walked home. Ino had tied it around her wrist and instructed that she not remove it until she was home. She lifted her wrist and held it at eyelevel. The ribbon was meant for use in a person's hair, and thus looked too large and odd, on her wrist. Sometimes people would glance her way and she'd feel faint embarrassment. 'I should just take it off now, but… geez, why am I listening to her?'

"Good morning, Sakura."

Sakura stopped short of where she lived. In the side path of her house, someone was leaning against the wall underneath her bedroom window. When she realized who it was, it felt like a weight had been lifted from her. "Kakashi-sensei!"

Her sensei pushed off the wall and held a hand up in greeting. Although she couldn't see him smile beneath his mask, she could still read his expression though his exposed right eye. "It's been a while. How have you been?"

She brightened considerably and said, "My apprenticeship under Lady Tsunade is going well."

"That's good to hear," he sincerely replied. "Are you returning from a lesson?"

"No, I had a meeting with Tenten in the woods."

At this, Kakashi raised a curious eyebrow. "Tenten, huh? She's one of Guy's students if I recall."

"Yes." Sakura became sheepish and she put a hand to her arm. "It seems I've become caught up in a rivalry with her. She wants us to challenge each other in competitions."

Kakashi quietly considered this. "Hmm, you don't say… Funny, I didn't think she was the type to take after him…"

His last statement caught Sakura's attention. "Eh? What do you mean?"

Kakashi seemed to pop back from his reverie and he nonchalantly said, "Oh, just thinking to myself out loud." He soon left Sakura with a farewell and, unintentionally, something else for Sakura to think about.

It was getting worse. Tenten knew that for certain. She was able to cover up the overblown outbursts and strengthening camaraderie with Lee and their sensei well enough, but it was useless to try when she lost total control of her senses.

It happened when their team had been out together for supper. Everything was going as usual, with two particular members of their team in an animated exchange and Neji attempting to tune them out. Tenten sat between them, tired, and reached for a sip of her water. What she drank instead, was Guy's sake.

Lee had been enough of a handful when this happened to him. A swig of sake, and he had turned into a one-man demolition machine, having torn the restaurant apart and carrying the destruction out onto the street. Tenten was a different problem. Whereas Lee used brute force to destroy his opponents, Tenten used weapons – weapons that could be flung anywhere at any time.

Everyone hit the floor when a flurry of kunai whizzed in all directions throughout the restaurant. One after another, Tenten chaotically flung her arsenal, breaking plates and smashing windows.

Guy finally managed to restrain her arms and drag her out of the building. He was beginning to think that perhaps he should stop drinking around his kids… for completely different reasons than the norm of course. At this rate, his team would be banned from eating at their favourite places.

When Tenten finally sobered up and found out what had happened, she buried her face in her pillow. Being recognized in the village on account of a public disturbance was not the sort of acknowledgement she had been hoping for when she signed up to become a shinobi. Besides that… those green bodysuits were becoming peculiarly alluring…

"It's been too long and it's getting worse! Isn't there something you can do?" Tenten appealed to the Hokage during her next appointment.

Tsunade sat across from her in her chair, considering the issue but seeming divided upon what to do. "I understand what you're going though but I still think it's best to let it run its course. It's natural to become quite ill before recovering." The Hokage leant forward in her seat and looked Tenten in the eye. She was serious – serious about curing her, and serious about what she said next. "Have you been having any strange feelings lately?"

She had asked Tenten something similar before she discharged her from the hospital. Tenten's reply then had been swift, but now the girl found herself reflecting deeply upon the question. Strange feelings… what did the Hokage mean by that? A thought crossed her mind, and then a memory, and then another. It came as a jolt to her system when she recalled how she acted back then… with Sakura. 'No way… is it possible? If it's Lee, then…' Her fingers tensed unnoticeably beneath her palms. "… No… there is nothing worth mentioning."

Tsunade's gaze remained steady. "Are you certain?"

Tenten nodded. "I'll be fine once my chakra realigns itself and I stop acting like Lee, right?"

"That is what I intend."

"Then I'll be fine."

Tsunade was still concerned about Tenten's feelings over the matter, but she allowed her to leave anyway.

Tenten stepped out into the hallway and slid the door shut behind her. She turned to go, but found there were two people in her way: Ino and Sakura.

They were both regarding her with stunned expressions, but while Ino's carried a sense of wonder, Sakura's seemed anxious. She seemed paler than usual, and panic, or perhaps understanding, was in her eyes.

"Did you hear anything?" Tenten asked, though already knowing what the answer would be.

Ino glanced at Sakura, but the Haruno girl lowered her gaze to the floor, showing no inclination to speak. "Yeah, we did," Ino answered.

Tenten looked between them, and her eyes settled on Sakura's bent head. Maybe she was ashamed of listening in on her conversation with Tsunade; or maybe she was so shocked by their conversation, that it felt wrong to look at her. Tenten closed her eyes. "Well, now you know." She strode past them without a second look, leaving them behind her in the corridor.

Ino watched her leave, and then she turned to Sakura. "Hey, Sakura… are you okay?"

She looked back up, but Ino couldn't see her face. Sakura distantly stared down the hallway, silent, until she finally said, "Yeah… I'm fine," and resumed to walk without Ino.

Her voice had sounded light, but Ino knew better than to fall for it. '… You're hiding your feelings again.'

Tenten wandered aimlessly through the village trying to mentally sort through everything that had happened. Her initial accident had lead to numerous problems, including one she just recently discovered; and if she thought hard about it, Sakura seemed to be responsive. If that were the case though, why was Sakura's reaction to her different from her reaction to Lee?

'Well… I'm not totally like Lee. I'm still mostly myself.' Ironically, that seemed to provide Tenten with some relief. 'But then… if the difference between Lee and myself is me, then…' She felt another jolt, this time centralized in her chest. What a bizarre twist this was – the girl falling for the boy's female teammate, a teammate who was rather off put by the girl in question.

'But, she still likes Sasuke – so much that she nearly left with him,' she quickly recalled. It was some comfort, putting aside the fact that Sakura seemed to make poor choices where Sasuke was concerned.

She shook her head and heavily sighed. "Whatever… I'll just let it play out like Lady Tsunade suggested." With that decided, Tenten took a moment to gather her bearings. She wasn't that far off from the dango shop, and she considered whether to pay it a visit or not. Then she spotted someone sitting on one of the benches outside, and she hesitated; but when she thought upon it at length, she made up her mind to approach her.

Tenten casually took a seat beside her on the bench, and leaned back on her hands. "This all started when I hit my head," she began, as though speaking to a psychologist who had asked about her problems.

Of course, Anko was no psychologist and she hadn't said a word – but looking at Tenten, she decided to indulge her. "Hmm? What did?" she asked between bites of dango.

By the time Tenten had finished explaining her troubles to Anko, the special jonin had finished two skewers of dango.

"I have to say, that part about you and the Haruno girl is kind of amusing." Her opinion did not change when Tenten glared at her. "But anyway, so you're worried you're becoming like Lee or that sensei of your's?"

"I just don't want it to interfere with who I am or what I want to do." Tenten gazed across the street toward a building that sold scrolls for sealing. "Some parts… I don't know if it's something I'd do."

Anko lowered her cup of tea, resting it on her knee. "You know… I picked up a few habits from a sensei I had a long time ago. He's – wasn't, a very good guy; but it doesn't bother me that I have some of his habits. I know what's really important is who I am deep down and what choices I make – not some weird quirks everyone makes a big deal about."

It seemed like an obvious answer, but Tenten hadn't considered it until she heard it from someone else – Anko, of all people; although, if the reference to her past was true, then perhaps that made the advice all the more viable. Tenten was rather amazed that Anko shared it with her. "Hm… I really don't know what I'm thinking these days."

"If you spend too much time thinking about life, you end up not being able to live it." Anko picked up a skewer of dango and offered it to Tenten. "Here. Think of it as repaying you for that bun the other day."

Tenten stared at the dango, surprised that Anko chose to pay her back, and with dango she had ordered for herself. Appreciative, she accepted the dango and bit into the topmost sphere. The mitarashi sauce tasted sweeter than usual.

The setup was perfect. She made sure to practice in a location where the explosion wouldn't hurt anyone – aside from herself, potentially, but Tenten was confident the blast would not reach her. Her work over the past few days had been thorough, and fueled by a fervor born from Guy and Anko's pep talks.

Numerous kunai protruded from a sphere which contained explosive material, and when lit by a paper bomb, was meant to explode while propelling the kunai to tear through the air. Tenten planned to test the bomb itself first, before combining it with a release from a scroll. She'd already purchased the scroll she planned to use, a large one, which was a bit heavy now but would be no problem to carry with some more training.

The bomb was placed in an open area within the woods, surrounded by trees which would provide some cover for Tenten. She held a paper bomb between her middle and index finger, and then threw it so it stuck neatly to a bare space of the sphere. Just as the paper landed however, a squirrel ran out from the underbrush and stopped near the bomb – within the radius of the calculated explosion.

The next time Tenten opened her eyes, she saw a ceiling that was very familiar, but knew it was not the ceiling of her home.

"Good, you're finally awake."

She tilted her head to the side. It hurt to move, and she winced. "Shikamaru?" she said in a muzzy voice. Behind him was a white curtain. "… Am I in the hospital?"

"Yeah. My dad and I found you unconscious when we went into the forest for training."

Tenten reached back in the recesses of her memory for the last thing she could remember. "… The squirrel…"

Shikamaru blinked. "Uh, yeah… there was a squirrel. It ran off when we got to you."

"Oh… so it's okay."

He blinked at her again, and then realization dawned on him. "You've got to be kidding me."

Tenten was silent on the issue.

'This girl really is troublesome… but not in the way Ino and Sakura are.' Shikamaru sighed and allowed his shoulders to sag. "If you plan on tinkering with explosives in the future, I suggest you have someone supervise you."

"… Yeah…I'll consider it," Tenten absently replied.

The privacy curtain rustled and clinked as it was pushed aside, revealing a person behind it. It was a girl a year younger than Tenten; the same girl who had visited her in the hospital all those times before. Her features were blotched with pinkish tones, and she appeared to be emotionally restraining herself.

"Oh, hey Sakura," said Shikamaru.

"Hi, Shikamaru." Her voice sounded distracted, though she was looking right at the boy. "You should know Ino's looking for you."

"Huh? What does she want?"

"I don't know, but she said it's important."

He sighed again and pushed off the chair he was sitting on. "Alright, I'll go and look for her. Thanks for telling me."

Sakura nodded and stepped aside to give Shikamaru room to leave. When he was gone however, Sakura only looked at the empty chair, seemingly lost in thought. She gave a start when she heard Tenten's voice, as though she hadn't known she was there the whole time.

"Hey… you can sit down, you know."

At last, Sakura's eyes shifted to the girl lying on the hospital bed. There were cuts up and down Tenten's body, and a dusting of dirt clung to her clothes and skin. What wasn't visible, Sakura knew, was how her muscles must be aching from the impact of the explosion. "No, I'm fine," she quietly said. "I'm here because Shishou sent me." She paused and watched as Tenten blearily blinked. "She said you're fine now. I mean – not including your injuries from the blast."

Tenten blinked again, comprehending the meaning of Sakura's words. A rush of euphoria shot through her, and she might have smiled if she wasn't lay-up in bed and the mood in the air wasn't so overcast. "Oh… that's good." She caught a movement which was Sakura fidgeting with the hem of her red dress. "You know everything, right?"

Sakura stopped. She pinched the fabric between her fingers. "… Yes…"

Tenten turned her head so she was facing the ceiling again. "… Sorry for causing you so much trouble."

"It wasn't trouble," Sakura quickly said. "Just… confusing sometimes."

Tenten peered over at her and saw the colour in Sakura's face, though her green eyes were turned away. Maybe it was because she felt weary, but Tenten found herself saying, "Listen, Sakura… I don't know if the person you'll spend the rest of your life with is Sasuke, but you deserve to be with someone who'll make you happy."

An astonished, but distressed look flashed across Sakura's face. She looked down at Tenten's left arm, where the bandage she'd taken to wearing had become dirty and ripped. A poignant smile came to her lips. "… Thanks…"

Her expression affected Tenten the way Sakura's expressions would whenever Sasuke was brought up. It irked Tenten to see her like this, for a number of reasons – one of which, Tenten felt, was what she thought Sakura was dwelling upon. She seized the bother rising within her and channeled it into her next words. "Hey… choosing you as a rival was _my_ decision. I chose you – okay?"

Sakura stared at Tenten, who held her gaze with deep, serious, brown eyes – eyes that always showed Sakura that Tenten meant what she said. When Sakura next smiled, it was sincere. "Okay."

Echoes of the villagers' efforts to rebuild the village carried through the air, all the way up to the roof of the structure where Tenten stood. It was the Hokage's building, but Tsunade allowed Tenten this one request. She was out of the hospital now, and her hands were on the railing which ran the roof as she gazed over the village, picking out bits of movement which indicated the village at work. Much had happened when Orochimaru and his sound-nins attacked… and much had happened when Anko had attacked Tenten.

Yet like with all experiences, what had happened served to develop her as a person. Had that day when Tenten inadvertently smacked Anko with dango not occurred, her relationships and confidence would not have strengthened the way they had.

She turned around and looked up at the faces of the past Hokages carved into the rock face overlooking all of Konoha. As soon as the reconstruction of the village was completed, the next task the villagers had planned was for the immortalization of Lady Tsunade. Tenten couldn't wait for that day, when she would be able to look up here and see her idol like on the day of Tsunade's inauguration. A gust of wind swept by as she turned back to face the village. 'I'll keep working hard to achieve my dream, in my own way.'

"Heyyyy! Tenten!" a voice called from below.

She looked over the railing and saw two boys, one with his arms crossed and the other waving with great sweeps of his arms.

"Tenten, we have a mission!"

She smiled and lifted a foot onto the railing. A breeze carrying flower petals passed as she pushed off to join her comrades.

_Dancing flexibly and firing speedily, a lively and magnificent kunoichi!_

* * *

A/N: The last line is from the second "Naruto" data book.

So yes, no definite pairing; unfortunately for any of you who wished for one. I wanted to write this with the intention that it could fit into canon, during the time skip – and since post-time skip there is no evidence that Tenten is or was involved with anyone, I chose for her not be with anyone by the end of the story. It was fun writing with a harem for Tenten in mind though, haha.

Thank you for reading!


End file.
